


Dusk till Dawn

by mysteriol



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drama, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:15:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28195293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriol/pseuds/mysteriol
Summary: CHAPTER 7 UPDATE. Out of financial desperation, Aerith seeks the job of a female escort at the Honeybee Manor. Under a ruthless employer and bleak circumstances, she’s forced to sleep with her first customer…who happens to be the infamously rich and stubborn bachelor Cloud Strife. [ Cloud x Aerith, AU. multi-chaptered. ]“You…like it?” She breathed against his throat.“…You’re a fast learner.” God, he was stumbling over his words like an infant.“Mister, we’ve barely begun.”
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 112
Kudos: 145





	1. price tag

**Author's Note:**

> a/n:
> 
> hello omg. Why am I back with another Clerith AU so fast!? I had intended to go on my hiatus longer LOL. But heck I was just sitting in my bed one night and this random idea just came to my fingers. Kid you not. 
> 
> Anyway, I don’t intend to make this a long mammoth fic like my other AU Stars Rewritten. My fingers are still on therapy from writing that length the last time LOL. So yep, taking it easy for this one. 
> 
> Warning: this fic is rated **M for sexual/mature content and lots of cussing lol.** And is completely AU. No links to compilation/remake/og etc. I’ll still aim to keep characterisation as accurate and by the original canon as much as possible.

**chapter one**

_Price tag_

_\--x_

Heck, it was a lie to say that she wasn’t nervous.

Aerith Gainsborough sat up straighter in her chair, her eyes blinking wide at the older, much taller lady Madame M who had taken the younger lass under her wing the first day the latter had walked into Honeybee Manor. Just last week, she had successfully auditioned for the open position of ‘female social escorts’ the infamous brothel in the red-light district of Wall Market was looking to hire.

Madame M, being the well-reputed stern mentor and manager of the female hostesses working under her, merely stared back point-blankly with a poker face, her cold eyes unforgiving. Frustration was mounting inside the older woman.

_Fuckin’ virgin chicks,_ she thought gruffly, always thinking they could get away working at her reputable inn with a large base of loyal male customers without having to sleep around. Did these innocent girls really thought that word of Honeybee had fanned and spread around the opposite sex merely because they served the best drinks on the streets and primed on hiring only the most desirable-looking women on Gaia?

_Hah,_ Madame M wanted to laugh out loud at Honeybee Manor’s latest newcomer – new recruit Aerith, who definitely looked no more than twenty years of age. That girl had been desperate when she had showed up at the audition dressed in an ugly frock, looking less to impress than to snag a quick cash-making job. Perhaps out of pity, and out of not having missed the stunning looks the girl hid well beneath her plain-Jane dregs and make-up free face, M had chosen her out of a hundred other women vying for the same spot.

And true to her suspicions, Aerith had proven to be more than just a looker. When M’s best man Andrea Rhodea had done a complete makeover on the emerald-eyed lady and put her into something more fitting onto her slender frame, she had stepped out of the curtains in a red satin chemise dress literally stealing the breaths of what many male guests gathered at the manor last night.

M held back a sigh. As much as she knew Aerith was truly committed to earning her bargain of the job and serving Honeybee’s customers to the best of her abilities, M had been in the industry long enough to know that lass would only work until she could pay of her dues. Then _poof_! That would be Aerith’s one-way ticket out of Honeybee.

_Although…she would be more than enough to earn a few quick bucks for me,_ M thought satisfactorily.

A virgin was always good for business. Men were more than ready to throw their easy money on deflowering innocent girls like this one. Indeed, when word regarding Aerith had gotten around yesterday, M had already received bids of the highest sort from men all over Gaia desiring a night spent with the amber-haired lass.

“Didn’t you hear me? Or should I repeat myself again?” M looked displeased. She made sure to look very much so.

“Sorry,” Aerith shook her head, sure she had misheard, “You want me to – what?”

“Sleep with the customer, as per your job entails,” M folded her arms, “Or have you forgotten what you signed up for?”

“I don’t recall ‘social escort’ being defined as ‘prostitute’ in any dictionary whatsoever,” Aerith stood up immediately, her cheeks flaring crimson in rising disbelief and embarrassment. She was ready to fend for herself, “I think you missed that little detail out when you hired me last week, Madame M!”

Beside Aerith, a woman had tugged on her hand. She was another escort working at the Honeybee, and looked to be in the midst of putting on her makeup for the night when she had been distracted by the ensuing argument between the two.

“Aerith, if you want to keep your job, you’d better just do as you’re told.” Her name was Lucrecia, as Aerith had learnt in her few hours here at the manor, and was a beautiful lady who wore her blonde hair up in a sleek ponytail and had on a fitting black cocktail dress that glittered in the room lights.

“B-But—” Aerith opened her mouth to protest.

“Here’s your customer’s portfolio,” M slanted her eyelids haughtily and tossed Aerith a delicate folder, “Make sure you memorize everything about this man. What he likes, what he doesn’t. That’ll help in breaking the ice in your conversation with him. Man’s paid a fuckin’ good sum for a night with you, and I picked him out of the other scumbags just because he’s a big name around around Gaia. So I know he’s not going to screw my business over by chickening out on paying us in the end.”

Aerith stared hard at the folder, not daring to open the cover. She gulped inwardly. “He’s paid for a night? But that doesn’t mean anything, right?” _That I have to sleep with him?_

“Girl, do you need to ask?” Beside her, Lucrecia whispered, her long ponytail almost swishing into Aerith’s eyes, “This guy paid 10, 000 bucks for your company tonight. And if it isn’t because he wants to sleep with a virgin, then I don’t know what it is.”

“Sure it’s not because he just wants to stay up and talk over alcohol and have a lil’ chat?” Aerith rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling weary. Her heart had plummeted to her chest. To say she was nervous wasn’t enough to aptly sum up her array of chaotic emotions pummelling into her brain and giving her a migraine.

M chortled, “Yeah, sure, if that’s what the Mister wants, you give him that. But just a warning, Gainsborough. If I receive word that you’ve displeased my customer and we’re going to lose all that money for a refund, you’re _out._ And you can kiss your money goodbye.”

With that said, M swished on her heels and sauntered out of the door.

Aerith sank in her seat, her lungs feeling all of a sudden deflated, her cheeks drained of colour. “Oh god, Lucie… Tell me what to do."

“Madame M has a point,” Lucrecia leant over to whisper in the younger girl’s ears, “I’m not trying to sugar-coat all of this. But think about it- that rich bastard’s paying 10, 000 bucks. Which is enough to pay off your debts, right?”

Aerith frowned, “Right…”

“10, 000 bucks! Aerith, you’ve got to be insane not to want to accept that amount of money. C’mon, what’s the worst that can happen? You sleep with him for a night, regardless if he’s a prince or a frog, and it’s all over by the morning. Then you take your cash, and you’re out of here for good. It’s the deal of a lifetime, sweetheart.”

“But I have to sleep with him!” Aerith groaned, stamping her feet, “Why are you ladies here actually normalizing sex in this manor like it’s everyday business without batting an eyelid?”

“Because it is,” Lucrecia said with a small, sad smile, “It’s our livelihood, after all.”

At Aerith’s cheerless look, the older woman had covered her hands with hers and spoke with a softer, matronly tone, “Hey, girls like us can’t ever be roses when all we ever grow are thorns as our limbs, yes? Got to be realistic.”

Aerith closed her eyes in resignation, “I know.”

“I mean, I would cut an arm to know what it’s like to be rich for a day, but paupers like us will never know what kind of world the upper siders live, right?” Lucrecia smiled kindly.

It earned a small, tearful laugh from Aerith, who rubbed her eyes free from moisture. “I guess. I’m already working three other odd jobs on top of this, but at this rate it’s just going to take me a lifetime to pay my way through university.”

“You go, lovely,” Lucrecia said earnestly, taking both their hands together and clasping them to her chest. Her kind smile shot all the way through Aerith’s heart, who despite her previous attempts to stop from shedding any tear, began to feel them gather in the corner of her eyelashes once more, “Stop crying! Silly.”

“Sorry, Lucie, it’s just---”

“And don’t you worry,” Lucrecia interrupted, sounding more optimistic for her friend whom she had already taken a liking to in what little time they had known each other, “This single job; this customer you’re going to have tonight, is going to make sure you never have to work another day in your university years again. Shut your eyes, numb your soul, and it’ll be over before you know it. I promise you, lovely.”

Emerald eyes rounded worriedly. Her voice was soft when she spoke, “…Will it hurt?”

Lucrecia wiped the tears away from Aerith’s cheeks, and pulled her into a warm hug, “Silly, of course it does. Always does. But think about your favourite memory. Something cheerful. Or your beautiful future ahead of you.”

“How does it ever get easier for you, Lucie?” Aerith asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“It never does,” she answered gently, a melancholic note in her eyes, “We…just get used to it around here.”

“One day,” Aerith returned the hug tightly, “you will meet someone who deserve you, Lucie. You will.”

“Oh, Aerie, stop, you’re making me tear,” Lucrecia pulled away, and stared fondly into green eyes. “Now, shall we have a look at your customer’s portfolio together? Madame M has instructed me to teach you some things.”

“Things?” Aerith looked confused. “Like what?”

“How to converse. Break the ice. How to capitalize on his personality traits and try to make him like you,” Lucrecia winked, “In other words, I’m going to teach you, milady, the art of seduction.”

Aerith nearly choked on her words, “S-Seduction?”

“Ah, what do we have here?” Lucrecia drummed her fingers curiously against the folder then flipped it open, “I am curious, though, as to who this bastard is who just paid a hell of sum for your company’s worth.”

At the sudden slackening of Lucrecia’s jaw and the look of utter astoundment on the woman’s face, Aerith had snatched the folder out of her hands. “What? What’s going on? Who is it!?”

Both women simultaneously stared at the photo on the front page in a mix of shock and disbelief on their expressions.

“Hate to break it to you, Aerith, but it seems you’re sleeping with the infamous Cloud bad-blue-eyed Strife tonight.”

_Oh no. Oh no no no no no._

Aerith held the photo disbelievingly closer to her face. Cloud Strife!? Not possible. That same Cloud Strife – heir to the billion-dollar technology conglomerate Mako Enterprise due to inherit the CEO position from his father and billions from the company in the near future?

Oh Gaia, this was a mistake.

But as Aerith stared, stupefied, at the spikey blond-haired portrait of the male face embossed in colour print on the front page, she realized this was no mistake.

Cloud Strife had, indeed, bought her tonight, for 10, 000 dollars. Whether she liked it, or not.

* * *

“How did I let you guys convince me to do this?” Cloud sighed resignedly, sinking into the passenger car seat beside his horde of hormonal male friends who looked set for a wild night ahead – one that involved alcohol and promised lots of romps around the opposite sex. “Somebody kill me, please,” he deadpanned.

Beside him, Zack Fair hooked an arm around his shoulder, swinging a can of beer around carelessly, “Lighten up, bud! It’s Rufus’ bachelors’ party, and his last weekend as a single man before he gets hitched, so yes, we are going to hit up Honeybee Manor!”

“Rufus,” Cloud muttered flatly, “isn’t even here with us.”

“Aww, my bad?” Zack scratched his head. “C’mon bud, you need to start getting back into your game. Take yourself too long out of the dating market, and poof! Know what happens?”

Cloud frowned, “Do I want to know?”

In the driver’s seat, Tseng coughed, “I don’t think you want to, Strife.”

“Amen to that,” Rude pushed up his shades. He was sat in the seat beside Tseng. “But I agree with Zack, for once. You _need_ to stop studying so dang hard all the time in school and start dating again.”

“Yeah, dude,” Reno shot a sideway glance at his friend, “You’ve got a lifetime ahead to be a corporate nerd. Time to start sleeping around before your friend down there gets old and rusty.” He was definitely, very intentionally, using a metaphor.

Cloud flipped the redhead a middle finger as the rest of them in the car hooted in laughter.

“Besides, Zack’s right,” Reno flicked a finger at the sullen-looking man’s nose in retaliation, “When was the last time you were in a relationship, anyway? You need to get yourself laid, buddy. We’re all trying to help you here.”

“Not sure if it’s more help than hindrance,” Cloud retorted dryly. The last time his friends had tried to hook him up with a hot-looking chick in the bar, they had all ended up in a fight with an angry, overprotective boyfriend, spending the night behind bars until their older friend Reeve had bailed them out. He sighed, then let his head slumped further onto his shoulders. “Look, you know I’m all up for night out, but this is way out of my zone.”

“C’mon,” Reno coaxed, coating his tone with sugary sweetness that Cloud found incredibly suspicious at once, “Rufus’s already booked you a night with Honeybee’s latest escort.”

“What the fu—” Cloud was cut off with Zack jumping in to stuff a hand over his friend’s mouth, muffling the rest of his words. 

“Heard she’s hot stuff,” Zack sniggered, “ _And_ a virgin.”

“No,” Cloud said sternly, “I’m not sleeping with anyone.”

“What? C’mon!” Reno rubbed his fists gleefully, “I’m actually looking forward to this! Rufus, being the great, _fucking rich_ groom that he is, has already fixed every one of us up with our very own escort tonight.”

Cloud looked at his friends in disbelief, then jutted a finger at Rude, “And you, too? You, too?” He pointed at Tseng, who refused to meet his eyes. “You’re going to cheat on Elena!?”

“Never said I was part of this wild night. I’m playing chauffeur,” Tseng pointedly kept his eyes on the road.

Rude coughed, “Well…Reno keeps calling me a prude.”

“So you’re going to have sex with a stranger, just to prove him wrong,” Cloud cast his friend a deadly sombre look, “You’re shittin’ me, Rude.”

“Hey, hey,” Reno wrung an arm around Rude’s neck, “Bald head here deserves to relax for a night, too, you know?”

Rude shrugged, pushing up his shades, “It _has_ been a while…”

Cloud couldn’t believe his ears. His friends were all up for it. Dammit. He was nursing a migraine. When was the last time he had slept around? Sure, he had his fair share of flings growing up in college as a teenager with the typical raging hormones. Being born into a family of money more than opened enough doors for him to the opposite sex. Cloud was accustomed to women throwing at his feet all the time; he barely ever needed to ask for an invitation.

But when he had entered university, he had grown tired of women. Spending time to get to know someone, to date someone, in particular, bored him. With the immense pressure his father was laying on his shoulders to one day succeed his CEO position, Cloud had invested more time and energy into graduating one day summa cum laude with the highest honours. So much so that he hadn’t found time, interest nor the energy for any other relationships. They were bound to fail anyway, like every of his previous short flings.

“C’mon, Cloud,” Zack nudged his friend, “one day you’re going to be forty and Mako CEO and wondering why the fuck you hadn’t partied harder when you were younger.”

“You’re a bloody bad influence in my life, you know that?” Cloud sighed.

“Dude, give it a shot,” Reno flashed a thumbs-up, “Just have fun. Lighten up. Go for a casual date or something if you decide that you ain’t gonna sleep with her in the end if she isn’t your type. Whatever works.”

“Yeah, no pressure, you know? Take it as a date at the, um, hotel,” Zack chipped in, helpfully.

“It’s not even a _hotel_ ,” Cloud sighed, “you guys booked us in for a night at the brothel. Which is cleverly disguised, by the way, as a manor. It’s a miracle the Wall Market police hasn’t caught up to that detail.”

“ _Rufus_ booked us in for the night, not any of us,” Reno corrected, “And the police are frequent customers of the Honeybee themselves – you think they care? Don Corneo literally owns Wall Market. And that man doesn’t give two shits, neither do the police.”

Cloud folded his arms, looking very much like an impertinent child throwing a silent tantrum. “Fine, but if I don’t like her, the hell I’m staying put.”

“Hey, Rufus your man paid a hefty price tag to snag you a virgin. If you don’t want her, you can send her next door to me,” Zack laughed aloud, “I don’t mind a fucking twosome.”

“You are a first-class idiot,” Cloud tossed an unopened can of beer at his brunette friend who caught it effortlessly.

“It’ll be fun, Cloud, promise. It’ll be a night to remember,” Zack assured.

…Oh, Cloud had no idea how much.

**Tbc**

* * *

a/n:

ahh hah lol boys will be boys…

btw I intend to move this fic into a more explicit rating in the future chapters eh-heh. Smut, maybe? (I have learnt that term! Used to be called lemon/lime in my days ^^)

anyhow, hope you enjoyed this little teaser first chapter. Tell me it’s a plot worth continuing! 😊

I do have intentions on turning this into a mini multi-chaptered AU, so keeping my fingers crossed that I do get the inspo to keep writing…and not abandoning it here. Ah, we’ll see.

Happy holidays in advance everyone! ^^

Myst-san


	2. stuck with you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re afraid,” he said softly.   
> “I…” She fidgeted on the spot, twiddling with her thumbs, “I’ve never done this before.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n:
> 
> oh wow. I managed to find time during the crazy Christmas holidays to write this chapter. How, I have no idea. But in between all that feasting, carolling around my house’s old, white Christmas tree, the mad last-minute shopping for gifts and unabashedly re-gifting old presents (guilty XD), I sat myself down and was struck with the inspiration to continue this. So there ^^ 
> 
> wishing everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS and the most joyous holidays ahead. 
> 
> May we all grow old as happy/bitter/cheerful Clerith grandmas/grandpas drinking tea in our bed. (I can totally see myself doing that winks..) 
> 
> Disclaimer: **no beta-read.** Heck, it’s Christmas… you’d think I’d be using the time more wisely trying to frantically wrap presents instead lol. 
> 
> Myst-san

Two—x

stuck with you

-

It’d be fun, they said. No pressure at all, they said. You can get out of it anytime you want, they said.

 _Hah,_ Cloud thought darkly, his eyes flickering frantically across the bedroom. Hard not to feel any sort of pressure and the hellish feeling that he had been imprisoned indoors when his friends had literally tossed him into the most expensive suite room of Honeybee Manor and bolted the door after him so there was no way out even if he tried. (Though, Cloud secretly wondered how the heck a brothel-in-disguise could afford to build such a fine, luxurious-looking bedroom.)

He had spent a full five minutes trying to kick his way out of the damn door, but nope. Damn door refused to budge. And Honeybee made certain to have invested in bloody wooden doors that swayed not an inch in the face of man-inflicted damage.

That left Cloud to sink into the couch by the king-sized bed with a look of mortification on his face, thinking _fuck this. Fuck them. I’ll kill Zack and everyone when I get out of here._ Murderous intent glinted in his dangerous cool blue eyes, as he fished for his phone and nearly yelled into it when the person finally answered on the end of the line.

“Rufus, get me _out of here,_ ” he barked.

“Heh,” Rufus sounded like he was grinning on the other side. Cloud balled his fist. God! His friends were undoubtedly all jerks. “Enjoying yourself much yet, kiddo?”

“Fuck you, Ruf,” Cloud was this close to losing it over the phone, “Was it your idea to have Zack and everyone else gang up on me on _your_ bachelor night?”

“Aww, I’m hurt you’d think the worst of me, Spike,” Rufus chuckled, all too aware of his friend’s increasing anger over the phone, “Only want the best for you. Always.”

“Newsflash. This,” Cloud spat, “is. Not.”

“You tellin’ me you don’t want to sleep with a hot chick?”

God, Cloud wanted to punch the tone of amusement out of Rufus’ voice. He could _imagine_ that grin on the older man’s face even without seeing it.

“No, I don’t!” Cloud shouted frustratedly.

Rufus sighed over the phone, “Look, the Turks and I have known you since you were in diapers, okay? Just thinking the best for you. When was the last time you went on a proper date with someone? If we didn’t force you into the room, Heaven forbid someone twist your arm to properly ask a lady out on a date just for normal courtship’s sake.”

“So what,” Cloud hissed, “you’re playing God in my romantic life now?”

“No, just being _concerned._ As we should as your friends.”

“Friends don’t lock friends up in a room to _sleep with a girl._ This is ridiculous.”

“Look, Cloud, I gotta go,” static sounded over the phone, “Do yourself a favour okay? If you don’t want to get laid, fine. But take this night as a chance to get to know someone of the opposite sex thoroughly. Brush up on your romantic etiquette skills. Or something. God knows your father needs his heir to properly court a lady in future to marry you off so you can produce future Mako offsprings. And that’s not going to happen if you refuse to even step into the dating market.”

“I’m only twenty-one, for fuck’s sake, Rufus,” Cloud shut his eyes, suddenly weary, “I have light years ahead of me to find a suitable match when the time comes.”

“Yeah, if anyone even wants to date an unflappable prick like you,” Rufus snorted, “Believe me. If you know what’s good for you, stay in the room. From dusk till dawn. That’s all – is that so hard to do?”

“Did my dad bribe you to do this?” Cloud squinted his eyes in suspicion.

“To make his son fuck a virgin? God, no. But I take it as part of my responsibility as your assigned overseer and mentor that you grow up a properly socialised species of the male gender. If nothing else, just relax and have a good ol’ time, ok, kid?”

“Ruf—”

“Toodles, Spike. And if you decide we were right after all, don’t forget the condoms are in the bedroom drawer. Right hand side. Or ring for room service and they’ll get you extras,” Rufus laughed, finding his own brand of humour hilarious. Although that only irritated the hell out of Cloud a lot more.

“Har-har,” Cloud said dryly, “not funny.”

“Hanging up now. Be good, kid.”

“Wait--!” Cloud looked disbelievingly at the blank screen on his phone and hauled his device infuriatingly into the empty bed.

What was his father thinking, really, assigning an idiot like Rufus Shinra to mentor him? True, Rufus was smart, business-savvy, a genius to boot at a young age, and his father had plucked the orphan off the streets and honed him to be the man he was today. Indebted to the Strife household, Rufus had diligently worked under CEO Strife and rose up the ranks to be promoted to Vice-President of Mako today, never mind that he had barely turned thirty years of age. His combination of brains and unscrupulous persona in the corporate world saw him steadily subvert every last client and colleague’s doubt of him.

…Yet, Rufus also happened to be a bit of an overbearing, micromanaging asshole when it came to affairs of his younger protégé.

“Dammit, I’m surrounded by brainless idiots,” Cloud cursed, then with one last throw of his weight at the stubborn door, decided to give up for good.

He moved to the windows and stepped out onto the tiny balcony, looking over the ledge. Technically, he _could_ jump. The suite was five floors from the ground. He wouldn’t survive that fall without breaking a limb or two, but he _could_ hope to grab onto the tall tree growing next to the balcony and pin his hopes on the miniscule chance that the tree branch could catapult him straight down into the Honeybee Manor pool below.

…Yeah right. He had a higher chance of striking lottery, that was.

It was hopeless.

Outside, he heard sniggering.

He threw a death glare at the door. If looks could kill, his arrowed daggers right through the hard wood.

“You guys better not let me see you within two feet of me the next time,” He bellowed gruffly, “I’m plotting your demise as I speak, assholes!”

The voices outside immediately shushed.

Cloud’s eyes flickered over the bed. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Top-rated service at Manor, indeed. The Honeybee maidens had scattered rose petals all over the white, clean bedsheets. As if they could enhance the ambience of any potential love-making in the bedroom later.

 _Hah!_ Not a chance, Cloud thought sarcastically. A+ for effort, though. They had even lit up small rose-scented candles around the room, flooding the place with an incandescence that glowed remarkably beautiful even with the incredulous situation he now found himself in. Every corner of the room smelt like the buds of fresh spring bloom…or did it come from somewhere else?

Cloud sniffed, unaccustomed to such a unique floral fragrance that sent his mind temporarily swirling. Whatever this room was smoking, it had some terrifying effects beginning to take hold on his senses. This fuckin’ manor spooked him out already.

 _No—Wait,_ he was right. That scent. Flowers. It didn’t emanate from the space itself. It smelt distinctly closer, more personal. Like – a person. Like—

“Um, hi,” A voice spoke nervously behind him. So quietly, he had to prick his ears to make sure he hadn’t misheard it.

“You didn’t mean it when you said you were going to kill anyone within two feet, were you?”

Silk.

It was the first thing her voice reminded him of. Velvet against skin. Satin to the ears. Goosebumps rose on his arms involuntarily. He spun around, heart dropping to his knees.

He had expected this moment, hadn’t he?

The boys had prepped him for this stupid meeting since they had broken the news to him in the car. Plus he was Cloud frickin’ bad-blue-eyed Strife genetically born and disciplined since day one to remain unfazed even in the most nerve-wrecking, uncomfortable situations.

So why was his heart thumping so loud, he swore it was filling the entire room?

Then he realized it was futile. No minutes, no hours of preparation could ready him for the sight that greeted him when his eyes found hers across the diminished lights of the room.

Fuck, he breathed, they weren’t kidding when they said _she_ was going to be beautiful. This…was his female escort? Impossible. No, beautiful didn’t cut it. Didn’t do her justice.

His jaw strung taut, his eyes darkened. Every muscle roping his shoulders inadvertently tightened. His blood shot all the way to his groin.

Couldn’t help himself. Any sane man with working hormones wouldn’t. And he was still Cloud Strife, and a hundred and one percent made of bones and flesh and testosterone.

She was looking at him with rounded, innocent eyes. The colour of a thousand green spring forests melding into one. Her hair the shade of amber, interweaved with red crimson ribbons, tumbled in untamed waves down the length of her back. She was petite; slender to a fault, and that thin fabric of a satin red kimono robe she wore around her frame did nothing to emphasize her svelte feminine lines.

…Although, thinking about what she wore beneath it, was enough to drive Cloud’s thoughts into the land of uncharted territory.

Frightened of what she could do suddenly to him, and his nerves, he backstepped immediately. Away from her.

“Wait, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Aerith frantically reached a hand towards him, a look of terrible worry on her face. What had she done? God, all that reading up on her customer’s portfolio and memorising his quirks and eccentrics had been for nothing if she had scared him on her first impression.

“N-no, it’s—I—” Cloud stumbled back, and smashed his back into the bed lamp, which cluttered harmlessly to the floor.

Shit, if his father and forefathers saw him now, they would churn in their graves at their failure of a descendant.

He looked up at her. Big mistake. Noticing the creamy length of thighs subtly exposed beneath the bottom of her robes, something hammered right into his guts.

Oh, fucking hormones! _Jeez._ She was just a girl.

_Relax, Cloud. Relax. Play it cool. You can do this. She’s. just. a. GIRL._

Never mind she looked to be electrifyingly ravishing. Enough to light up an entire room, apparently. The innocence and earnestness shimmering beneath her curious eyes didn’t help matters.

Then she did something that completely threw him off.

She covered her mouth, but not enough to stifle her giggles.

“What’s so funny?” He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Sorry,” she shook her head quickly, “I just…didn’t quite imagine that the infamous bad blue-eyed boy would be…well, this.” Her eyes suddenly twinkled, despite the evident anxiety and fear still carefully concealed within those depths, “Thought you’d be more…ah, how do I put it. Cool, as a cucumber?”

“Should I be flattered?” He cocked an eyebrow sardonically, “No, don’t answer that.”

She clasped her hands innocently behind her back, “Sorry. Wasn’t the best use of a metaphor.”

“Glad you realized.” He looked around. No way out. He was definitely cornered.

“Um, you are Cloud Strife, aren’t you?” At the uncertainty in her voice, he had looked up.

“No,” he rolled his eyes, “I’m an imposter; a doppelganger of the Mako heir that happened to have sacrificed himself to be here in his place.”

“Ha-ha, nice try, Mister,” Aerith pulled a face.

“Then why’d you ask if you already knew?” He resisted rolling his eyes.

“Just…” She scrutinised him carefully, from head to toe. Cloud felt suddenly self-conscious. He wasn’t dressed to the nines, for sure. Less than an hour ago, a night out at the Seventh Heaven bar with the boys imbibing one too many beers had made him lose his tie and his belt somewhere to a stupid bet with Tseng. Some of his shirt buttons were missing, no thanks to Reno who had plucked them off in his drunken stupor accusing Cloud of having stole his buttons.

…That quite explained how he looked as unkempt as ever before Aerith, with his collar sticking out, and the top of his smart shirt opening wider without any buttons keeping them in place.

 _Bet she’s very impressed,_ Cloud thought humourlessly. “Just say it. What? I don’t look the part of an heir to a billion-dollar enterprise?”

“No, no, _of course you do,_ ” she assured him, stepping closer, eyes never leaving his face, “Just…didn’t think the infamous bachelor would be looking as nervous as I feel.”

_Shit. That obvious?_

He jumped in at the chance of a topic shift. He eyed her squarely, then almost regretted it at once when his heart pounded taking in the beauty of her stunning features. The make-up on her face was so minimal, she didn’t even need any of it to accentuate the natural glow on her cheeks nor eyes. Yet, it was the perfect opportunity for him to catch what he had missed earlier.

She was right.

Heck, she looked every bit as nervous as he was. Possibly even afraid of him.

Cloud realized at once how doubly awful it had to be for her. To be in this position, with him. To be in a room alone forced to sleep with a stranger. And all he could selfishly think of was his own predicament of getting out of here that he had neglected to take in her terrifying circumstances.

He studied her face. Saw through the natural radiance immediately when he knew where to look.

“You’re afraid,” he said softly.

“I…” She halted in her approach towards him. She fidgeted on the spot, twiddling with her thumbs, “I’ve never done this before.”

He noted the sudden embarrassment flooding her cheeks; the shyness turning them a hue rosier. She looked enthrallingly innocent and charming, so much so there had to be magic in that face – he was sure. Might explain that sensation of his heart turning over, just the slightest, at the uncertainty and anxiousness fleeting through her features.

She was a fighter, he realized dimly. Fighting to keep her emotions at bay. _Still…_

Cloud sighed, turning away. He folded his arms. “I wasn’t a willing party.”

“I figured,” something brightened in those emerald eyes, “Friends of yours?”

“They’re idiots,” he answered gruffly, making her laugh.

“Must be nice,” she replied, smiling, “Having friends.”

He noticed the way her smile had dipped a little. Something in him felt compelled to say something. Anything, to make her feel better.

“If it helps, you’re right,” he admitted, “I’m probably as nervous as you are.”

“Ah, so the unflappable Cloud Strife does flap,” she teased lightly.

He shot her a pointed look, “Hey.”

At her nervous smile, he sighed. Best to just get the cat out of the bag, before the awkward tension in the air brought both of them any more heart attacks for the evening. “So…you don’t have to worry,” he told her.

“Worry?” She looked at him quizzically, “About what?”

He blushed hotly. “S-sleeping with you,” he stammered, “I’m not. Won’t.”

The colours on her cheeks reciprocated in a similar manner, deepening by the second. “ _Oh_.”

He had thought his assurance would grant her some relief, but worry now creased her forehead.

“The money – does this mean?”

“No, it’s yours to keep,” he assured.

“But surely you’ll complain---”

“I’ll make no complains,” he said quietly, “You have my word. Just take the money. You need it, right?”

Her eyes turned glassy. “Yes.”

He decided not to probe further about her motivations to work at Honeybee. He caught her gaze steadily. “Feel better?”

Her shoulders relaxed visibly. She had let out a pent-up breath held for the longest time, it seemed. “You have no idea, Cloud. Thank you.” She meant it sincerely, and he had to only take one look at her to know she meant every word.

“Never mind that,” he sighed frustratedly, “Only problem now is that we’re stuck in here till god knows when.”

“Uh-huh,” she pointed to the door, “your friends made sure of that.”

“I grew up with idiots,” he rolled his eyes, earning a giggle from her.

She then gestured to the couch by the bedside, “Since you’re here, and your friend paid you a hefty sum for my services… May I?”

He followed her gaze questioningly. _What?_

“Could I tempt you with the traditional Honeybee massage to quell any body aches troubling you?”

It took every effort to stop his jaw from dropping wide open. He reined in his bewilderment to simply stare at her blankly, his brains still not quite registering her question.

Unfortunately, she must have misunderstood his silence for rejection. Hastily continuing, she suggested, “Or I could just turn on the TV for you if you’re a fan of films?”

“What?” He’d looked at her like she had cornstalks growing out of her ears.

“I don’t know. What would you like, Cloud?” She asked, genuinely curious, “A hot bath, perhaps? I could prep it up for you and get the hot water running quick, but let me—” she was already making her way to the bathroom when he shot an arm out to stop her.

Their eyes met. Both swallowed and stared at the spot his fingers had touched her skin. Neither had expected the jolt of voltage causing them to quickly jump apart. The aftermath silence was ironically deafening in the room, with the sync of their heartbeats filling in the space. 

“I’ll take the first option,” he, at last, found his voice. It came out throaty, dry.

Her eyes brightened. “A massage?”

“What, eliminated from the list of services already?” He arched an eyebrow, though not seriously.

She laughed. Then did something that surprised him completely. She took his wrist, then tugged him towards the chair. He couldn’t take his eyes off the way her dainty fingers were wrapped around his skin.

“Here, sit,” she gestured, a twinkle in her eyes, “If the Honeybee taught me something best, it’s imparting me phenomenal massage skills.”

**Tbc**

* * *

a/n:

question: how long does it take for Cloud’s hormones and defenses to crumble in a room around a beautiful woman like Aerith?

Don’t you wanna find out? Come scream at me yes!!

And before I miss the chance to say this… wishing everyone a fabulous new year ahead, and may 2021 be A HELL LOT more fantastic for all you lovelies out there. xx

Myst-san


	3. first time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So Cloud, are you always this quiet around the opposite sex, or you’re just not liking my massage and are being too nice to tell me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n:
> 
> aww I’m sorry this chapter took ages to upload…Plunging back into work after the festive/new year break means having to exasperatedly catch up A LOT on my crazy workload LOL…and with adulting comes responsibilities comes the inevitable neglect of time on AO3. Ack! 
> 
> NOPE I haven’t abandoned this fic. =p And I apologize in advance if life possibly gets busier ahead for me in 2021 and the updates come less frequently. 
> 
> Anyhow, enjoy this next chapter! And a happy 2021 everyone! Hope you all had a bloody brilliant blast for your celebrations. ^_^ 
> 
> Myst-san 
> 
> **Insert non beta read disclaimer.** Seriously. I struggle with finding time this new year… one of my resolutions this year is probably better time management LOL.

Three -x

First time

-

Try as she did, Aerith couldn’t help but occasionally let her eyes wander from her hands running ministrations across those masculine, firm muscles to that pair of magnificent blue-green eyes. Hell, it was impossible not to stare blatantly. And was it her imagination, or was the room getting increasingly stuffier as she reminded herself to keep taking breaths?

Hard to, when she realized _this face, this built,_ was the reason why the entire female population lauded Cloud Strife as the most eligible bachelor in Gaia standing at the moment. That jawline, those striking features – _Damn._ God must have spent a little more time on this man. 

It occurred to her she must have been staring too hard, for Cloud began to blink and blush under her penetrating gaze.

“Uh, something the matter?” He asked, dipping his head to the side shyly.

 _Shy!_ Aerith had to admit she was surprised. Never had she expected her customer tonight – a rich one nevertheless, who could literally buy down all of Honeybee if he wanted – would turn out to be extremely self-conscious and painfully awkward around the opposite gender. But it proved apparent – the more minutes that passed between them, the more she massaged his tired shoulders standing behind his back – that the silence ensuing between them became evidence of his preferred introversion.

“Nothing,” she shook her head profusely, then knelt down to his height with a shimmer in her eyes. She couldn’t help teasing him. He really was proving to be such an easy tease. “What, are you always this quiet around the opposite sex, or you’re just not liking my massage and being too nice to tell me?”

“No!” He sputtered, before composing himself and sitting straighter in his seat, “I mean, no. It’s good. I mean. The massage.”

Cloud flushed, and tried to valiantly conceal the colours splashing across his cheeks by placing a hand on his jaw. Why the fuck he was burning a temperature, he had no goddamn idea. But he wasn’t lying. His escort’s fingers worked incredible magic across his shoulders and neck.

On cue, she pressed a tender spot above his collarbone, and heard him elicit an instinctive groan. 

“Sorry, this hurts?” She looked genuinely worried that she had hurt him. “I only picked up the art of playing masseur last week when I joined Honeybee. My skills have room for improvement, I admit—”

“No, no,” Cloud reached a hand to rub the spot ruefully where she had just touched, “Just… sore. My shoulders aren’t in good shape.”

“Must be from all that studying and work you do, huh?” Aerith gave a small smile.

“Probably,” he rotated his shoulders slightly, then nodded for her to continue, “I can barely feel my nerves here anymore.”

“Well then, let’s see if it’s something the Special Honeybee Massage can fix,” she gave an assuring wink, then bent closer to study the spot on his muscles intently. Her fingers traced his muscles gingerly. So focussed on her task at hand that she had completely missed the way her touch had sent involuntary shivers down his neck.

Cloud hastily adverted his eyes, his fists suddenly clenching in a futile bid to suppress his pulse racing madly. _Oh god- she was just a girl._ So then why was his heart making a big deal out of her damnable presence just because she was feeling his shoulder blade up and down with her impossibly tender touch that was driving all the blood in his brains to rush straight to his pants?

“I---I…” He opened his mouth to speak. Then decided to forget it because his brains definitely were in a mush pit.

Her fingertips, like exquisite silk, were damn well distracting enough.

“Forget it,” he choked, then abruptly brushed her hand away.

She drew apart, surprised. “My massage’s that bad?”

 _No, it’s just…_ He tried to think. _I can’t take any more of this._

_If my heart drummed any louder…_

And his fucking eyes just couldn’t stop drifting to the satin fabric of her red kimono waist belt that was threatening to loosen any minute. How the hell was that thin sash alone keeping her entire robe sitting snug on her? Surely if the wind blew, it would rip away that cloth and she would be standing—

_Do not go there, Strife. DO NOT. I repeat. ABOLISH thought._

God. Had to be that goddamn beer Zack had forced down on him in the car earlier. Cloud was going to punch the daylights out of the man when he got out of the suite at dawn.

“Let’s just sit, and watch TV,” he fumbled for the remote control and switched it on. The TV silently played, and he mindlessly flicked through from channel to channel until he sensed her settling on the edge of the bed. He was all too aware of her eyes still trained on him.

“What?” He finally asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. More so of himself and his lack of ability to keep his self-control in check with every minute that passed around her presence.

Dammit, he needed her dressed more appropriately. _Now_. Anything but a goddamn thin robe that looked ready to be torn asunder anytime.

“Just, wow,” She held her breath. “Your eyes.”

He looked at her, dumbfounded. No one had ever commented on his eyes. Sure, he just inherited them from his father and grandfather. He never thought them unique or interesting in particular.

“Just the Strife genes,” he brushed it off nonchalantly.

“Wish mine could look like that,” she smiled sincerely.

He arched an eyebrow. “Really?” _If anyone had your eyes, they wouldn’t trade them for the world._

He cursed the inner voice in him subconsciously whispering, _You’re beautiful._

…Yup, chalk it down to one too many cans of beer.

“I take it,” she continued, “you resemble your father then? In many ways?”

“Well,” he coughed, then settled back in his seat in a more relaxed posture. Conversation was good. It took his mind off her affecting presence, and that goddamn teasing slit down her thighs barely leaving anything to anyone’s imagination, “If the media says so, then I guess.” A look passed over his face. Quick and fleeting, but she caught it anyway.

She grew quiet. Seemed to think over his words for a while. Then, “Your father must be a good man then.”

His eyes widened slightly – he hadn’t expected those words from her.

At his flummoxed expression, she had quickly cut in, “You said you’re a lot like him.”

She realized she must have said something wrong, because his lips were still parted slightly, and he had an unreadable look on his face. _Shoot, how to salvage this situation?_ Her mind raced to think, and she had blurted out before she could help it, “You’re kind. And a gentleman. That much I know even in the little time I’ve known you.”

He tried to muster as much annoyance to show on his face. He had the utmost respect, admiration and love for his father, who was second to none as a hero in Cloud’s eyes. Cloud looked up to CEO Strife, as long as he remembered. And although he would never admit it aloud, Cloud wanted to be like him, and _more._

…And how had his female escort seen through all of that in a matter of minutes? Dammit. His defenses were slipping through. Crumbling. This woman was beginning to terrify him, simply from what she could do to him.

“Quit acting like you know me,” he scoffed.

She held up both hands with an innocent air, a playful smile tugging her lips, “Ok, ok, no need to get all defensive, ok?”

He kept the stern look on his face.

“Then tell me more about you,” she started again, “because, like you said, I don’t know much about you, Cloud.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair flippantly, “What’s there to know? Pretty sure Honeybee stalks their customers and gather their data and whatnot before they send their escorts over. You probably already have some top-secret info on me.”

“Yep,” she crossed her arms, laughing lightly, “I’m some secret spy trying to wheedle confidential data out of you so I can take over your family business one day.”

She pulled a face, “Lighten up, would you?”

He shot her a look, then looked away resignedly, “Fine. But you start the ball rolling.”

“Oh?” She looked at him expectantly.

“For starters,” his eyes bored into hers, “I haven’t gotten a name.”

_Oh._

Her pregnant pause convinced him that she was going to lie to him.

He wasn’t wrong when she blurted out with a slight hesitation, “U-Uh, Lily.”

_Lily? Yeah, right. She expects me to believe that._

“Is that your stage name, or something?” He narrowed his eyes in a displeased manner that she had lied to him. Quite obviously.

“What, you don’t believe me?”

“Nope.”

She sighed, then fiddled with the hems of her robes, which he tried his hardest not to stare but his damn (retarded) eyes couldn’t help from very obviously watching her run her fingers nervously across the satin red fabric. “I promise, I’ll tell you when this is all over, okay? But for now, I…can’t.”

“Hn,” he folded his arms. It wasn’t like him to be nosy about someone else’s business. For some reason though, he was desiring to know, “Fine. Lily, it is, for now.”

“Your turn,” she gestured for his turn. 

“Wait,” he paused, “This isn’t fair. I didn’t get anything out of you.”

“How about this,” she stood up, hands on her hips. His eyes flew immediately to her robe sash. For some gravity-defying, illogical reason unexplained by the laws of physics, it remained exactly where it was – fastened around her waist. His shoulders tensed, then sagged with relief. No way his heart, nor mind, could handle her robe coming apart in front of him at any point of time—

_Losing it, Strife. Backtrack._

_Right._

“I ask a question, you answer,” she suggested, “and you ask a question, and I answer.”

“How do I know you won’t lie?” He eyed her suspiciously.

She held out her two fingers and beamed, “Honeybee’s honour!”

“…Fine,” he reluctantly agreed, and hope he wasn’t going to regret his decision, “So like, truth or dare, without the dare?”

“Something like that. Yes,” she said, too cheerily for his liking, “we can add the dares if you like.”

“No, thanks,” he shuddered to think.

“Great! I’ll start,” she enthused, then put her chin into her hands to pretend to give her question much thought. “So, Cloud, what’s the craziest thing you’ve done so far in life?”

Cloud reclined in the chair, the tension in his shoulders easing. Funny, how the next few minutes just seemed to pass in a blur when she was incessantly bombarding him with questions after questions that he _should_ find annoying. Didn’t make sense at all that he answered all of them truthfully. And god, was his female escort a chatterbox. She couldn’t stop rambling, he observed bemusedly, and could rant on and on about her likes and dislikes, her favourites and pet peeves…

But still, little made any logical sense as to why he found himself listening and catching on to every single word from her lips. Didn’t make sense why her droning on about the intangible things in life somehow acted like an invisible balm on all aches and sores on his muscles and bones. There was simply something _incredible_ watching her –

Watching her cheerful demeanour, hearing her tinkling laughter, smelling the rose-scented shampoo from her hair even from a distance… Time seemed to melt away, together with incinerating what little fortifications left around his heart.

If it wasn’t for the occasional tinge of sadness and sorrow in those emerald eyes, he wouldn’t have remembered that she was, after all, working as a female escort at the Honeybee. That she had her reasons to be here, labouring at a brothel. 

And by the time she finished chatting about her recent favourite radio hit playing on the air waves and had gushed about how much she liked it, he finally had the guts to cut her off with an abrupt question.

“You must have your reasons, I’m sure. But why are you here, Lily?” He asked, forcing a sudden shift in the topic. 

She blinked.

He must have caught her by surprise, he noted.

“I…I need the money, of course,” she looked away, not meeting his eyes. This was a very different person, compared to the cheerful ball of energy awhile ago. Such a stark contrast, he thought.

“To pay your way through university?” He dared to delve deeper.

“Yes…and no,” she shook her head, “Can we talk about something else?”

“…Are you going to sleep with more customers after this?” He couldn’t help but ask bluntly. “To pay off your dues?”

“What?” She looked bitten by his remark, then quietly, “No…not if I get your money after this job. It’s enough for me to leave Honeybee after this.”

A part of him couldn’t help but feel immensely relieved that there would be no other men after him. That he would be her last. _So she wouldn’t be sleeping with anyone else after today._ Why the hell his inner voice almost silently cheered, he would turn a blind eye to his stupid subconsciousness. Blame it on the alcohol, as usual.

“Is the money enough?” He looked at her, suddenly desperate for her to confide in him. “Tell me how much you really need.”

“I’m not a charity case, Cloud,” she bit her tongue from snapping back at him, then sighed, “Look. This is enough. After the morning comes, I’ll take the money and leave. And not return to Honeybee ever again.”

 _Good,_ he thought. But he knew anyway that he would leave her with more than what Rufus had bought her on his behalf for. More than 10, 000 dollars, for certain.

And no, not because he thought of her as a charity case.

“So…I’m really your first customer?” He couldn’t believe it. Really? For her first job, she seemed to be such a natural; such a burst of radiance. Like sunshine orbited around her. One would never have guessed at the financial hardships she faced. He had expected anyone but someone like her. He had half expected an over-the-top, experienced seductress to corner him to the bed and get the deed over and done with.

…But this precious lily had been anything but.

And yet Cloud wasn’t sure if his heart hadn’t already been seduced by her warmth. Her incandescence. Her light.

“What, you don’t believe me?” She frowned, crossing her legs and uncrossing them again. He swallowed, at the unintentional glimpse between her thighs. “I thought I told you I’ve never done this before.”

“I know but—” he eyed her contemplatively, but she had already taken the pillow behind her on the bed and tossed it at him playfully.

He caught it easily, raising an eyebrow, “Kindly explain why you just did that?”

“Jerk,” she stuck out her tongue, “You’re making fun of my inexperience.”

“I’m not,” he widened his eyes. He hadn’t meant to make her feel slighted.

“Are you not?” She crossed her arms, although not seriously. “Just because you’re the first guy I’m in a room alone with doesn’t give you any advantage.”

She stuck out a tongue to prove her point.

He blinked. He wouldn’t, couldn’t believe it. A woman looking like her – and never…?

“You’ve never been with another guy—” He broke off when she flung another pillow at him.

“Now you’re _really_ making fun of my lack of a romantic life, Mister. Unacceptable.”

He pushed the two pillows apart in his arms, his boyishly innocent face staring at her from between them. “So it’s true? You’ve never dated—”

“No, God,” she looked almost exasperated, flinging her arms around her in a fluster, “I’ve never been in a relationship before, ok? Much less kiss a boy, or sleep with one. That’s why you have yourself a 10, 000 dollars virgin in your hands tonight, Sherlock!”

If he was stunned, he didn’t make the effort not to show it.

A woman like her. And she had never dated, nor kissed a boy? God, men around her had to be blind fools. Or…she was just very wary of men. Whichever it was, he just couldn’t believe it.

“I…” She gestured to her robes. To herself. “Look, Mister, I don’t dress up in this hooker-ish cosplay outfit you see now in everyday situation, alright? If you saw me in real life, you’ll never notice I exist. To men, I’m just…plain. Ordinary. Below average.”

He nearly rolled his eyes at the outrage of her own words and beliefs. What? He truly found it hard to believe.

“Cloud,” she said more seriously this time, “I’m a nerd, okay?” She pointed to her eyes, and laughed uneasily. “Like big, ugly, thick-rimmed glasses kinda nerd. With clothes I re-wear half the time because I don’t have the money to buy anything pretty. You and I, we’ll never even interact if we meet each other on an ordinary day passing one another by.”

He gave her a sombre look, “You think I’m that elitist.” He almost accused.

“No, just,” she sighed, then said flatly, almost defeatedly, “You and I. We live in different worlds.”

“So?” He asked almost indignantly. As if to prove his point, he stood up from the armchair, and scooted closer to her by the bedside and slid next to her on the edge. All this while, his eyes held hers. “What are you trying to say?”

“So…” She forgot to breathe when he was suddenly so close. Aerith inwardly gulped, staring at those goddamn brilliant eyes only centimetres away from her. His breaths were hot against her neck, and she involuntarily shivered. “…Girls like me, don’t ever get a chance with boys like you.”

“That’s why you’ve never dated anyone,” he stated unamusedly, “Because you don’t think you are enough?”

Her voice almost caught in the back of her throat as his hand shot out to touch her jaw.

Something must have jumped into his body and possessed him because he had brushed a stroke down the line of her chin before he could think it through, and he had let his thumb linger against her cheeks tinged a lovely pink longer than he had intended.

Neither spoke for a while. Aerith held her breath, stunned by the gentleness of his touch.

“Y-Yes,” she slowly exhaled, “Laugh at me all you want. I’m twenty-one, and I haven’t kissed a boy in my life.”

He looked dead serious. “I’m not laughing.”

His thumb rested against the curve of her cheekbone – the same spot the moonlight shining through the window collapsed against the loveliness of her upturned face. He couldn’t take his eyes away, every sense of his realizing that her presence had already affected his every fibre of being. And it was too late.

“Although,” her voice came out a whisper, “if I were to kiss a boy…I think he’d be someone _like you_.”

This time, it was her who lifted her a hand to trace his jaw.

It was the stroke of his undoing.

Dust gathered in his throat; his lungs lacked air.

He had no idea why she had said that.

And neither had she, she realized to her horror.

_Oh my god, I did NOT just say that to Cloud Strife’s face. No no no no no no no no._

He must have sensed her mortification, for a smirk faintly tugged at his lips. Oh, how bloody infuriating! He was teasing her, she thought helplessly.

“Hn,” he composed himself to speak at last, although his voice came out a tad deeper than he liked. There was a tinge of amusement in his eyes that she didn’t miss. _Argh!_ He WAS teasing her. “Thought you said girls like you don’t kiss boys like me.” 

Her eyes widened. That did it!

She pressed both palms to the sides of his face boldly and stared determinedly into his eyes, catching him off-guard.

Good. He was surprised. She liked the element of having the upper hand.

“You don’t think I dare?” She cocked an eyebrow.

Her touch sent dizzying waves into his head. He nearly had to cling to the sides of the bed to steady himself.

Their noses touched. Her question was a ghost of a breath against his neck. Hot, and distracting. Teasing.

“Never said that—mffft,” his eyes grew to the size of saucers, just as she swiftly closed the distance between them, and pressed her lips against his.

Mouth to mouth. Flesh to flesh.

Fire against fire.

Heat. A spinning spell.

And then, magic.

**Tbc**

* * *

a/n:

I wrote this friggin’ early in the morning/late in the night high on drinking tea.

YASSSS. Let’s just hope I don’t take another eternity to write the next chapter lol… In the meantime, you can scream at me how much you want this.

Sending much love your way for the new year!

Myst-san


	4. practice makes perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It didn’t take a fool, much less a man with screaming hormones, to read between the lines.   
> …She was asking for permission to kiss him. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: 
> 
> haha I know some of you weren’t expecting a kiss that early...but hey, I really intended this fic to be outrageously different from my other AU/usual fics. 
> 
> …plus hands up if you want a Clerith kiss scene! 
> 
> Because you’re gonna get just that, here and now. ; ) 
> 
> **No beta-read as usual.** It’s been a crazy 2021 to start with, and it’s only…mid Jan? Gaia save me. 
> 
> Myst-san

Four –x

Practice makes perfect

-

Aerith had meant for the kiss to be quick; brief. Just a touch on his lips as payback for whatever he had said –

_“Thought you said girls like you don’t kiss boys like me.”_

She had only wanted to prove him wrong. That girls like her could kiss any man they wanted. Yet whatever had she said before? She couldn’t remember. All thoughts had flown out of her head; she had completely forgotten about his taunt, his words, everything, when she had leant in to kiss him.

Clad in nothing but sheer, scanty satin, before, she had been cold. But now, with her lips firmly planted against Cloud’s, all she could feel was the heat clamouring at her neck, then licking around her body like Inferno flames as her heart drummed madly in her chest.

Perhaps it was out of some kind of reckless urge that she had followed senselessly without thinking matters through…Yet somehow her eyelashes had fluttered shut against his in this unthinkable moment, _and_ her lips had felt compelled to stay fastened onto his a _little_ longer than she had hoped.

It could have been easy to pull away. To refuse to be swayed by that breathless, entrancing face in front of her. …If she was made of stones, maybe.

Surely, _surely_ even a girl from the streets like her could choose to indulge in this fairy-tale moment a little longer?

_No, Aerith. Reality check. Let him go, now._

Besides, it was obvious she must have scared and stunned the hell out of Cloud Strife. For he was frozen solid in front of her. Unresponsive. Motionless. Ah, _great._ That, _and_ him not even moving an inch while she boldly pressed her lips to his, was solid evidence enough to convince herself that she had to be a terrible kisser. And a very inexperienced one at that.

Heart sinking at her embarrassing first kiss, and that _surely_ Cloud Strife would be laughing internally at her lousy attempt by now, she snapped her eyes open and frantically tried to pull away. If her cheeks turned any redder, they would be the colour of her red satin kimono. Or as crimson as the rose petals scattered across the bedsheets around them.

And yet. _Yet---_

…Never in a million dreams would she have expected his hand to shoot out and grab her wrist, stopping her. Never would she have dreamt to hear him take in a staggering breath of air and wrap a strong arm around her waist, drawing her even closer. Never would she have imagined him crushing his mouth harder against hers; maddeningly hotter, faster. Opening his mouth to her kiss that she had once upon a time felt compelled to pull away.

Her eyes widened, _Oh…_ That was new to her. Everything, was new to her. And exciting.

His tongue sought her entrance, nibbling at the corners of her lips. Seeking permission. Teasing. She suppressed a moan -- why was his kiss so surprisingly delicious?

Might as well give up fighting. And she _did_ let a whimper escape her throat unwittingly, when his hands found her hair and got tangled within them, him dragging her face towards his. Closer, much closer, until their breaths collided, and were one and the same. When her moistened lips parted slightly under the building pressure, his tongue thrusted forward, gaining more momentum as it brushed against the undersides of her tongue in a consistent rhythm until it snatched an audible moan from her this time.

“W-Wait, I—” she finally found her voice – it came out a throaty whisper. Somehow, her fingers had made their way to his hair, blissfully trapped in those spikey blond strands.

It was him, who, at last, pulled away. Albeit reluctantly.

They both stared at each other. Breathless. Hearts hammering in chests, beating faster the longer they studied each other. Both waiting for the other to break the silence and say something first. His gaze lingered first upon her eyes, then drifted down to her mouth again. He noticed with a squeeze in his chest that her lips were slightly swollen, even in the brief span of time they had kissed.

What was he thinking, really? _Fuck._ Cloud had no idea why he had kissed her back like that. Honestly. It was stupid – or was it not? But when she had touched her mouth to his, all resolve in him had broke like a dam. It had to be the animated charm of her face, or the blush on her cheeks radiantly aglow in the moonlight dappling the room, accentuating her disarming innocence.

And of course, what sane man wouldn’t kiss a beautiful lady like her back, when she had been the first to initiate it?

His throat felt dry; his hands clammy. When he caught her moistening her lips with her tongue in a nervous little gesture that was both unconsciously feminine and appealing, his blood pressure might as well have shot through the roof.

“I’m not very good at this.” She admitted, shaking her head, suddenly flustered. Hoping that whatever their kiss had been, it hadn’t been a disappointment for him, at least.

He couldn’t help it. He had lost his train of thought, and had definitely not thought it through before he had leant forward to brush a stray lock of amber hair from her cheek.

 _Not very good?_ This was not very good? Cloud hated to think then what her _other_ kisses could do. Probably a hell lot more potent than this one.

“Stuff like this…” he had to keep himself from stammering, his blood arrowing at his groin when she looked at him with those wide, river-green eyes, “…takes practice.”

Now – why had he said that!? Of all things. _Stupid, Cloud, stupid._

Her eyes widened further, before a giggle escaped from her lips. His words must have emboldened her, for she was whispering with a twinkle in her eye, “Then you don’t mind…?”

He only had to take one good look at her, and he caught her meaning. Was this light, teasing person the same blushing, petite-sized lady who had kissed him and shyly pulled away awhile ago? God, she was certainly a ragamuffin full of surprises, switching from playing the wallflower to a bright, brave pixie the next.

It didn’t take a fool, much less a man with screaming hormones, to read between the lines.

…She was asking for permission to kiss him again. For _practice._

Now in what world would an idiot turn her down?

And Cloud Strife, once again, lived up to his name of being a man at the core of his soul. Made up of a hundred percent bones and muscles and blood after all.

She must have misconstrued his silence for gruff hesitation, for she was rambling on mindlessly. “I know I lack experience, and it’s my first kiss, after all. And like you said, girls like me don’t deserve to kiss boys like you, but I had thought…I don’t know what I thought, but I thought if for just one night we could pretend we’re from the same worlds and—”

He reached out to shush her. Much to his own surprise. By grabbing both her shoulders with his hands. “Nobody ever tell you you talk too much?”

She blinked innocently, then laughed in spite of her nerves. “Yes, I get that all the time. My mouth does get me into more trouble than what’s worth and I—”

Cloud didn’t know to roll his eyes or laugh. God, she really was a chatterbox, this one.

“That, I agree—” He cut into her words, although his tone was gentler.

“Agree with what?” She looked at him, puzzled.

His eyes were fixed on her mouth. Felt his pulse skip a beat. _That your mouth gets you into more trouble than it’s worth,_ he mused inwardly. Then nearly cringed at his own damnable thought. What _was_ his mind thinking, really?

She had obviously missed his moment of chagrin at himself, for she was continuing to rant. He realized she had a tendency to chatter when she was in a fluster.

“It _is_ a stupid idea,” she rambled on, beginning to realize her folly. _Oh god, Aerith, what have you done?_ How could one night in front of a handsome, rich bachelor like Cloud Strife change the fact that she was still a woman in rags behind all that make-up and costume, no matter now that she was temporarily dressed like a female escort, paid like one, and looked like one who deserved to be kissed on a bed full of flower petals?

She fumbled for the right words, “We can just forget I ever said—”

“You’re right,” he interrupted, “it _is_ a stupid idea. But one we can try all the same.”

The world spun in circles around her, until she had to catch herself to steady her breaths.

…What had he said?

No, no way. Was Cloud Strife – _the_ Cloud Strife agreeing to—

“Like I said, a little bit of practice goes a long way,” were the last of his words before his mouth swoop down to claim hers in a dizzying spell.

Magic – it had to be magic, Aerith thought. There was no way kissing Cloud could ignite such sparks dancing against her skin like that. Nor set the flames burning in the pit of her belly. But her senses were reeling in mindless circles; the butterflies swimming in her blood, as he kissed her with dizzying force.

Definitely nothing like the gentle, delicate kiss they had shared earlier.

Aerith couldn’t describe the sensations he had stirred in her. All she knew was Cloud Strife had awakened a sort of yearning; a deep desire within her when he kissed her like this, starting in the undersides of her toes slowly making her way to the tremors of her shoulders.

Now, with his mouth setting hers afire, it was entirely impossible to resist him.

Giving up thinking, and succumbing to only feeling instead, she pressed against him, her fingers curling through his blonde hair. Shit, she _wanted_ him, with a fierce, overwhelming need that blotted out rules and strictures and all of society’s conventions. Good god, could she just not pretend she was another one of those women worthy enough to kiss a man like this? Some dreams were worth taking chances for. Even if temporarily.

 _Just one night,_ she told herself. _Just one night kissing a man whom I know is completely out of my league._

She shut her eyes, feeling his arms wrapped around hers like steel bars. Felt his tongue push through, licking and exploring every delectable inch of her, tasting all the sweetness of her, until he finally earned that whimper from the hot cavern of her mouth.

Aerith thought dimly – if this was _practice,_ God… she wouldn’t mind having a whole night of it. Tonight. With Cloud. Kissing him was too delightful to ever stop.

He seemed to sense her reaching up to him more urgently, her body quivering under his hungry lips. He urged himself to go slow, warned himself that it was still her first – no, second – kiss, after all. _That he was her first._ And he still owed it to her to make it a pleasant enough experience. Never mind he had disguised his words as ‘kissing practice’ just to regain some of his cool composure in front of her. God knew the last thing he thought of was that, when all he wanted was to kiss her again. Any front or excuse would do— ‘kissing practice’ conveniently so be it.

 _Go slow, Cloud. Be careful._ He constantly reminded. Hard to, really, when she clung to him like she was starving. Her luscious mouth was soft and pliant against his, yet nevertheless demanding. Kissing her was addictive, hot damn. He never wanted to stop. 

In seconds, she was kissing him back as breathlessly as he was her. Tongues waging a maddening war of intoxicating heat and fire, Cloud grew increasingly aware of the desire coiling in the pit of his belly, coursing through his blood. It took all of his willpower to keep his self-control in check like every inch the gentleman he was.

When he deepened the kiss, his strokes enticing and seducing, his tongue caught another moan from her parted lips. His whole body was on fire as he tasted her soft outlines beneath his touch. She tasted… _Hell_ , she tasted delicious. Every bit as heady and warm like sweet nectar from a pot of honey. And that damned floral shampoo she wore drove him nearly wild. Did she always smell like that?

The world spun like a top. The colours of the room blurred. The smells of the candlelit room and her flowery woman-scent mingled dizzily until he couldn’t think. Her mouth blazed hot against his, and his senses reeled when she started nipping against the slant of his lips.

Her second kiss to date? _No way in hell._

This woman kissed like magic. And she had him under her spell.

Amidst the frenzied bursts of desire and deafening rhythm of their quickened breaths, she was the first to abruptly pull away, dissolving the flames of passion that had besieged the moonlit mist around them. 

He was left to stare at her, as dumbfounded as she did back at him. Their lips red; swollen, from their kiss.

Cloud couldn’t help feeling suddenly bereft when her mouth parted from his. The warmth that had enveloped his entire soul earlier now left him cold.

Ah, _fuck._

This was bad. He wanted the kiss to never end. Good god, he wanted to kiss her again.

She was looking up at him , so alluringly feminine it made him yearn to gather her into his arms again. But she opened her mouth to speak, the words tumbling out.

“T-Thank you for the, uh, practice,” she half whispered, half stammered.

Oh, right. Almost forgot. They were _practising._

That kiss felt a hundred and one percent real as hell.

She looked at him, slightly worried. He noticed he had kissed her until her lips were slightly bruised – he had nipped at the spot insistently earlier.

“Did I improve?” She asked, looking as appealingly innocent as ever.

 _Did she improve!?_ He wanted to scream. Did she really ask that goddamn question? When her kiss had driven all other thoughts out of his brains saved for that one damnable longing to shove her down onto the bed and lay claim to her---

_CLOUD STRIFE. BACK THE VERY FUCK UP THERE._

Damn. He was losing it.

Suddenly horrified at the direction of his stupid thoughts, and no longer trusting himself nor his hormones _at all,_ Cloud decided a little distance would do them a lot of good. Right _fuckin’_ now.

He instantly jumped apart from her, taking three quick strides across the room until he was frantically reaching for the doors of the balcony ledge outside.

He had to blame his loss of control on something. Anything. Whatever monster that had terrorized his soul and taken possession of his will and limbs earlier was very much courtesy of all that alcohol the Turks had fed him tonight. Pretty damn sure. No woman to date had ever shaken him like this.

Behind him, he had neglected to see that disappointed look on her face. He had jumped apart like she had bitten him with the kiss. Damn, but that hurt. Surely she hadn’t been that terrible a kisser? Yet Cloud Strife had obviously hated it, from the way she had literally chased him halfway across the room from her.

He still said nothing, standing by the glass door to stare at the frosty night outside. In truth, it was his coping mechanism naturally thriving to regain his unflappable character by default.

He sensed her approaching, however, and his world swam in stars again.

“Sorry, didn’t think I would be that bad,” she apologized, moving from the bed to where he was standing.

“No, it’s not like that,” he cast her a sideway glance, afraid to look lest his heart crumbled even more. Shit, she was doing sorcery to his nerves.

“Well, I—Wait, look, Cloud!” She pointed to the door outside, “It’s snowing!”

“What?”

She was right. Outside, snow began to fall against the window, dancing in the dim night. Like a choreographed ballet conducted by the gentle wind. A fairytale bequeathing a bounty of snow upon their world.

Yet in spite of the white beauty gracing the evening outside, all Cloud could see was the mesmerized look on her face. And the pure child-like brightness reflected in her shining eyes, as if she was witnessing snow for the very first time.

Something in his chest ached. Squeezed.

He couldn’t, wouldn’t tear his eyes off her.

A sky full of snow, and she was all he could see.

**Tbc**

* * *

a/n:

uh-huh..that was literally an entire chapter dedicated for Clerith to make out LOL. And credit given to Atticus whom I stole and adapted the last line from his famous poetry – ‘A sky full of stars, and he was staring at her’.

at this point I’m just buying time to ready my nerves to write smut LOL KIDDING.

It’s cominggggg~

Scream at me how much you want this, as usual. ; )

Myst-san


	5. only a man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If I hadn’t ran away from you in time, I would have done something I would have regretted.”   
> “And what would you have done?”   
> “K-kiss you,” he choked, “Again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n:   
> yes I’ve been busy. But ah… it’s a new year. And winter season in some parts of the world. So I have every excuse to insert snow falling into my chapters!! Whee. I hope you feel cocooned in the winter white fluff in this fic. 😊 
> 
> here we go… watching Cloud miserably (or not) succumb to Aerith’s enchantment. Ohoho.   
> and **no beta-read.** I'm sorry I have to wake up in another 4 hours and just have no time ABSOLUTE-FUCKIN-LY AT ALL this year. 
> 
> Myst-san

Five –x

Only a man

-

Her eyes warmed to the sight of delicate crystal blooms falling softly against the suite windows, with the conjuring of white-grey clouds. Snow was uncommon in the city even in this wintry time of the year, and Aerith couldn’t help but squeal like a little child seeing the grace of glistening white powder descend from the sky for the very first time.

She huddled closer to the windows, resting a palm against it with a look of wondrous amazement on her face.

“What,” Cloud squinted his eyes at her, although it wasn’t lost on him how _incredibly_ innocent and lovely she looked with her cheeks pressed curiously against the glass, “Don’t tell me you haven’t seen snow before?”

(Plus, he wasn’t about to just admit to her how his heart nearly turned over when he had caught the brilliance of snow glitter reflected in the vivid hues of her eyes. Surely it was a crime for a female escort – no, any woman – to be this _pretty._ )

She stuck out her tongue at him, “Hey, just because it’s a common thing to see for people like you who get to jet-set everywhere to wherever that snows, doesn’t mean the same for the rest of us. Well, at least, not for me.”

Her words inadvertently incited a frown on his face. “…What do you mean people like ‘us’? We’re all the same in the end, aren’t we?”

Cloud apparently hadn’t taken well to the use of terms of demarcation when it came to describing humans and society. 

She seemed to have sense his unease, casting him a long, thoughtful look. “You are right, to a certain extent. I guess.”

His eyes implored the dark, frosty landscape beyond them – a city bequeathed with a bounty of snow. He wore an unreadable look on his face, one that bordered into iciness. “In the end, we’re all slaves to our mortality. And we all die the same way when in our graves, no matter what or who we are, or the lives we’d led.”

Silence befell the room, until she spoke again. “I guess that’s another way to put it, Cloud.”

“Is it not?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.

She gave a small smile, “You know, for someone as wealthy as you, you really don’t like viewing the world very much in monetary terms, do you?”

“Just don’t care much about it,” he answered flatly, sliding his hands into his pockets. His eyes remained fixed on the invisible spot amongst the street lights below. “Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for…all the privileges. But there’s always a price to pay. Always. I’ve seen how that kind of lives ruin people…”

She was looking at him funny, her eyes acquiring a softness reserved for him as he continued to speak. Cloud seemed almost unaware that he was blabbering on, opening up to someone almost a stranger until tonight.

“But what do I know?” He scoffed, almost bitterly, “I speak, after all, from a position where I have a roof above my head and food on my plate.”

She studied him quietly, then broke the silence when he didn’t seem to have anymore to say, “You know, Cloud, you are a surprise in so many ways than one.”

He blinked, as if startled that he had actually blabbed more than he had intended. What the hell--? He thought. He had never lost it like this – he had never allowed his introverted self to open up to anyone that easily…and yet, all it took was the snow crumbling outside to powder, and the magic of her softness in the room, to melt the deadened ice around his heart.

(Well, not all ice. But _some_. It was an improvement, of sorts.)

“You definitely aren’t the pompous, arrogant, snobbish ass I imagined you to be,” she said, with a light teasing in her tone. Her eyes were sparkling with good humour.

He caught the glint in her eyes. Had to look away before she saw that small smile threatened to spill across his lips. She must have seen it anyway, because a giggle escaped her. It was the prettiest sound he had heard in a while – even prettier than the cackling of firewood in their suite room.

“So, Cloud,” she gathered her arms in front of her, an involuntary small shiver shaking her frame.

Worry flickered in his eyes. He was an idiot. _Of course she’s cold._ He had taken a step closer to her before proper reasoning could will his limbs otherwise.

She continued, paying no heed to her own lips lightly trembling from the cold in the room, “In a perfect world where everything is a blank slate and you can rewrite your own path, well, what would you want to be?”

He stared at her bare feet, her toes curled instinctively for warmth. The sight hit a sore spot in his heart, which he chose to ignore because he had no reason to justify why he should feel this way.

God, she really ought to wear something thicker than that red satin kimono robe which was doing absolutely nothing to protect her from the cold night.

Although, why that instinctive urge to protect her was jumping into his soul, made no sense. But his entire body seemed to move without a will of his own. A part of him wanted to jump in and swoop her into the fierce embrace of his arms to lend her body some extra heat; keep her safe.

Her question barely registered in his mind, until he blinked stupidly.

What? Oh, right.

“Delivery driver, maybe,” he shrugged casually, “Or a competitive racer.”

He half expected her to laugh in his face, but she was looking at him with ribbons of wonder interweaving between those lovely, vivid green hues.

“Yes, I _have_ heard that the infamous Mako heir likes to get around on a bike,” she smiled – that smile of hers with enough voltage to light up a room.

His lips twitched. Word did get around, here in Gaia, “Yep.” There was that unmistakable hint of pride in his eyes.

She caught on, asking, “But why delivery driver? I mean, surely it’s nice to bike around city after city delivering things to people, but it _is_ such hard labour, especially when the weather turns awful and it rains or starts to snow. Like tonight.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Isn’t that the fun of it? Getting stranded in the midst of nowhere trying to troubleshoot the repairs on my bike. And if I can do that while delivering food to feed the people and keep them satiated with a good meal, then why not? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.”

“That…does sound nice,” she slowly nodded, looking like she had just considered his line of persuasion and saw things from his perspective. A smile slowly lit up her features, taking his breath away.

Felt like someone sucker-punched him in the tummy, with a battering ram.

He adverted his gaze back to the snow outside in a hurry, lest he lost his cool right in front of her. He said hastily, “It’s just…” Where do one begin to explain the joys of riding Fenrir to another? Well, with her, he felt like he could try.

“It’s just…as long as I’m on my bike, wherever the wind takes me, I feel…like myself. _Free_ , I guess.”

He seemed almost embarrassed to admit it to her, then flushed a shade deep when he spoke that damnable word he had tried his whole life to avoid. Damn, he was talking a fuckin’ lot tonight. Why was he opening up like a damn chatterbox who couldn’t shut up when he was around this woman? Something about her – her radiance, her calm – was beginning to affect him.

Everything on his shoulders seemed a lot lighter in the room. And he felt like he could tell her things, where she would just listen without a single hint of judgement from her side.

She contemplated his words carefully. She hadn’t missed that singular syllable he had uttered in his fluster. _Free._

Boldly, she asked, “Do you not feel free, Cloud?”

He inhaled sharply.

Almost inaudible, but enough for her to realize that she must have hit a sensitive spot right in the nail.

She was about to apologize, cursing her brash, unthinking mouth as usual, when a low, bitter laugh rumbled in his throat.

It was a sound devoid of any trace of humour. Harsh, acidic. Dark.

“Most of the times?” He had spoken abruptly, surprising her, “Hell, _no_.”

He waved it off with his hands in a nonchalant manner, like he couldn’t care less, or be bothered anymore. Like he was used to this; resigned to his fate. “But it doesn’t matter. Not like I have a say in any of this.”

She observed him – didn’t miss the acidic taste of his words dripping from his tone, didn’t quite miss the note of sourness in the corner of his cool, blue eyes turning icier by the minute. “…You don’t like being Mako heir? Succeeding your father one day?”

He snorted, muttering a ‘tch’ under his breath, “Doesn’t matter whether I like it or not, does it?”

“Yes, it does matter,” she said sincerely, “To me.” 

His eyes reached hers, though never quite returned her smile. There was so much in that singular look he gave her – one that hid away years and years away of bottled pain and loneliness – that she couldn’t help but be drawn by its magnetism. Cloud looked suddenly so young, so boyish. So child-like, so _vulnerable –_ that she wanted to do everything in her power to fix that.

“All my life, I’ve been told the legacy I have to keep; the shoes I have to one day fill. It’s not like I don’t hear it enough. Ever since I was a kid. My daily activities being charted from which school I have to attend, what classes to take, what books to read, what events I have to show up at to make Mako look good on behalf of my Dad---”

His words dissolved, together with a darkened look settling on his features. “Just…gets a bit tiring. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I don’t know what awaits me. I know what I have to do. It’s just…”

“…Too much? Too fast?” Aerith offered helpfully; uncertainly. Her eyes were glimmering as she listened intently.

He blinked, suddenly startled by her hand reaching out to rest on his arm. When had she moved so stealthily to stand beside him by the windows? Didn’t matter. Her presence was intoxicating – one whiff of her floral scent was enough to crumble his defenses to smithereens.

Cloud had never felt this naked before someone, baring his flesh and soul to a stranger.

And she had read him like an open book. He had told no one else how he felt to date about the emotions he had bottled away for years and years, being a frightened young kid growing up desperately trying to learn the ropes and prove to everyone he could live up to his father’s and forefather’s expectations and their famed legacies.

 _Too much, too fast._ Indeed.

How many times had he ridden away on Fenrir, away from this city, just to want to get away from it _all?_ The pressure. The weight. Sitting on his shoulders. What he wouldn’t give for a day to feel like he wasn’t born an heir to inherit someone’s billion-dollar company, or having to one day manage hundreds of people under his leadership. How many times had he wanted to just be an ordinary child, with an ordinary childhood, to dare dream of an ordinary ambition that didn’t sound absurd just because it didn’t fit in with his father’s billion-dollar CEO dream?

Some mornings, he woke up feeling like he couldn’t breathe.

“Like I said,” he shrugged flippantly, “everything has a price to pay.”

She opened her mouth. To say something to comfort him, but he had cut her short. “Enough about me. You? What do you want to be?”

“Me?” She mouthed the word, not expecting the tide of conversation to be turned to her.

He nodded, watching her fidget on her toes. He noticed she did that whenever she was nervous, or embarrassed to admit something obviously dear to her.

“…Doctor,” she answered quietly.

“Noble,” he replied, then immediately regretted how offensive he must have sounded. There was a look on her face that made him wince, “I mean it honestly. No other intentions.”

“No, you’re right,” she sighed forlornly, “What an ambition, huh? I’ve miles to go, I admit. But I do want to save lives, and I do love children very much.”

He eyed her, no doubt believing every word. Then it occurred to him – that plausible speculation. “Is that why you need the money…? To finish your studies?”

“N-No, yes, I—” she fumbled with the hem of her robes, then refused to meet his eyes, “I don’t know what to say. I wish I can tell you, but—”

“Never mind then,” his fingers grazed the bottom of her chin, then gave it a gentle push so her lovely face now tilted towards his. The jolt that passed through both of them was enough to send shudders down their necks. “…I’m sure you’ll be one. One day.”

Almost as soon as he said it, the horror that internally ruptured in his brains told Cloud there was no way he could recover his composure from there. Now _why in Gaia’s name had he said that!?_ Not like he hadn’t meant it. Of course he believed her. And the look he gave her indicated that very much so – that he knew she would make a good Doctor. One that changed people’s lives for the better.

Not entirely the point – but –

Why the _fuck_ had his stupid mouth blurted that out to her before he could stop himself?

Now she was looking at him with parted lips, like he had just said something magical. Extraordinary.

“You really think so?” She asked, eyes rounding.

Yet, he had to be made of stones to resist that damned heart-stopping face radiant enough to tear icicles asunder.

He swallowed, feeling the nerves kicking up in his guts again. Not good. “U-Uh, yes.”

Her smile deepened. “Thank you, Cloud. That means a lot to me.”

He coughed, hoping the dimness of the night would conceal the hot blushes on his face. Impossible – he was literally the shade of the rose petals on the bed and he was sure she would have noticed by now how awfully feverish he looked.

“You’re cold,” he finally said, “we should turn up the air-conditioning—”

“Really?” She felt for her cheek with a hand, then laughed, “Yes I guess it is freezing now. But it did feel a lot hotter awhile ago when you were kissing—”

She broke off, mortified at her own words. Her cheeks reddened thickly.

“I-It was nice,” she confessed. A part of her wanted the ground below to open up and swallow her whole before she made a bigger idiot out of herself in front of this infamous bachelor. Another part of her wanted to just tell him bluntly how his kiss had maddeningly drove all other thoughts of her system. Plus his masculine jaw, and those damned lips of his just centimetres away from hers, were proving to be _way_ too distracting.

She hastily added, “I like it. The practice. I’m sorry if my inexperience threw you off.” Oh god, and now she was rambling. Like an idiot. She did that whenever she was nervous, and shy. Which was unlike her. But not every day did one get to kiss a handsome man that looked like Cloud Strife.

(And he was the epitome of beauty to her. Shit. And why was he looking at her like that? He ought to stop looking like this impossibly dashing young prince that just manifested to life straight from a fairy-tale castle riding on a white horse.)

She must have said something wrong. Again. Because he didn’t utter a single word – just look at her like she had grown a unicorn head. A frustrated look crossed her face – frustration at herself mostly. She was about to mutter another quick apology for screwing up her first time, and what probably was for him, the umpteenth kiss he had given a girl. Which by no means was good news because it only meant how he could compare her appalling kiss to the ones he had with women prior to her. And the stark contrast would be so blindingly obvious.

“Why are you apologising?” He asked, confused. If that was her bad kiss, then Cloud didn’t want to consider what her good kisses were like…

Oh wait, thinking that already meant he was considering it.

Fuck. _Fuck._

“Well, you kind of did run halfway across the room from me after,” she pointed out, “I think I can take a clue.”

“What? No,” He sputtered out. _Good God._ How to explain to the opposite sex he had ran because he was precisely terrified of what her kiss had done to his hormones; his nerves? He had almost lost it around her. And if he hadn’t ran away—his self-control wouldn’t have allowed it. Every part of him was screaming to gather her in his arms and throw her down into the suite bed, uncovering every tantalizing length of her, and it would have been a complete disaster—

He groaned audibly. Just that stupid train of thought fleeting through his mind about _tossing her into the bed_ had created that very graphic imagery in his head he had sought to avoid – and now his groin was aching and every bit of his blood was roaring to life.

“What do you mean?” She asked innocently.

It was his undoing – those naïve eyes. Eyes capable of powering a lighthouse to anchor every ship to shore.

He gripped her shoulders exasperatedly now. Hard.

Dammit – was she just pretending to be clueless of the effect she had over him? His heart hadn’t stopped pounding at an accelerating rate since she first appeared in the room before him. And his knees were threatening to give way half the time– just because she had to be so goddamn gorgeous standing there barefoot, nearly bare-faced, clad in that scanty robe that did nothing, _absolute-fucking-ly nothing_ , to accentuate all the right, feminine curves beneath her.

Was she completely oblivious to how fuckin’ beautiful she was!? 

Beauty was only skin deep. Hers…went deeper than the contours of her face, the outlines of her slender body that he yearned to run his fingers a thousand times over. Especially when she had listened to him talk so intently awhile ago, wanting nothing, judging nothing, but to just…listen.

No one, no one in his twenty-one years of living, had ever stopped to listen to him. Ask if he was okay. And he had cracked like a walnut and confided in this stranger more than he did anyone who had known him longer. Effortlessly. Without so much as a bat of her lovely eyelashes.

_Argh!_

“If I hadn’t ran away from you in time,” he gritted his teeth, “I would have done something I would have regretted.”

She looked at him hard. Then moistened her lips.

Both hearts thundered into the night, joining the sounds of snow falling outside steadily.

“What would you have done?” She finally whispered, so soft he almost missed it.

“K-kiss you,” he choked at last, “Again.”

The corner of her lips curved. “And…that would be bad?”

He caught his breath. “Is it not?”

“No,” she exhaled. Then daringly took a step forward, placing their faces but mere inches away from each other.

The universe wilted away.

“You…” His word came out hoarse, his throat tightening as he felt her tip-toe to his height. The touch of her eyelashes caressing against his forehead was driving his blood teetering on the verge of no return, and they both knew it. His arms instinctively came around her small waist, encircling her into his warmth. He felt her shivers all the way to the underside of his thighs against hers. Whether from the chilliness of the wintry night, or his touch – he wasn’t sure. Didn’t care.

“Besides, I think I could use another round of jostling practice. What do you think?” Her eyes lit up with an impish glow, curving his lips helplessly upwards right there and then.

For the sake of his sanity, and her dignity, he ought to stop. Really. Resist her before he could commit something as sinful as what he longed to do to her long ago in this room.

…But he was only a man. And he could only take so much.

“I…I--,” he bit down hard on his lips, every muscle in his jaw tightening, “Not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” even as the words tumbled out of his lips, his arms were already drawing her closer, until she was pressed against his chest like she fitted there. Their eyes met like the burst of a firecracker. His voice came out notches deeper, cackling like wood against fire, music to her ears, “Because I…I’m still a man. Only a man. And I won’t be able to stop myself.”

She shushed him, putting both fingers against his lips.

It ignited every flame in him.

Her eyes searched his. For a long moment, both said nothing. Then she spoke, with a smile that glittered like a thousand jewels.

“Then don’t.” 

The air left his lungs.

All that was left was for him to stare stupidly at her.

His mind processing her words like a train that had come to a sudden halt. _Fuck, fuck, what, what, shit, shit, shit._ Something like that.

Oh bloody hell.

Screw ‘em all.

She was offering. And he would plunder.

“Are you sure?” He murmured, his voice husky as she fitted into his arms like second nature. The curves he felt beneath her thin robe were already sounding the red alert in his senses.

She laughed – a merry sound. Poked a finger lightly into his chest as she slid deeper into his arms, comfortably. “How about you kiss me already and save me the embarrassment of having to ask you again, Mister?”

His lips twitched. Heck, even nervous, there was something comforting and playful and warm in every way she held onto him.

Then she turned slightly serious, her mouth a ghost of breath from his. “Just indulge me for once? One night where I can pretend I’m Cinderella with the glass slippers at the ball, with my Prince Charming. _You._ Where we live in the same world. And I can pretend I’m actually classy and pretty enough to take a rich, strikingly handsome man like you home.” 

He frowned, arguing on her behalf, “But you are.”

She poked his cheek, teasingly, “You’re flattering me. But it _is_ working.” She giggled.

He pretended to snort, “Har-har.”

“If that’s your Prince Charming plan,” she smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling his face towards her, “to flirt with me, to compliment me—”

“That _might_ be my plan,” he mused, embossing the memory of her eyelashes fluttering shut against his into his mind as he bent his head to meet hers.

“Then, proceed accordingly, Mister. It is working excellently,” she laughed softly, then tip-toed to meet his mouth half-way.

He was about to claim her hungrily, mouth against mouth, skin against skin, when his lips stopped a second away from hers.

He breathed heavily, “I won’t hurt you.”

“I know,” were the last of her words, before his mouth swoop in to incinerate them from her lips.

**Tbc**

* * *

a/n:

AH THERE

FIVE CHAPTERS TO GET CLOUD TO TAKE AERITH TO BED. GODDAMIT YOU INTROVERTED UNFLAPPABLE PRICK!!!

LOL KIDDING. Proceeds to hug our boi Cloud-san.

at least we’re finally there wheeeee.

And I’m sorry if my next update take ages to upload/write etc… this year has been rough so far and somewhat of an uphill battle lol (AND IT’S BARELY FEBRUARY lol) and there are nights I ponder and contemplate f I should just abandon this fic just because I barely have time nor energy anymore lately.. but we’ll see! Oh well! <3

Myst-san


	6. Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you want me to stop?”   
> Although Cloud knew it would take all of wild horses to drag him away from her at this point of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n:
> 
> myst-san is a simple person. Readers looking forward to smut content. Myst-san grants smut content. 
> 
> Here you go you sexy people. 
> 
> Best read when cuddled up in bed with warm blankets and a cup of tea. LMAO that is, if you’re anything like me - a bitter, old and occasionally cheerful ageing Clerith adult like I am. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
>  **Warning** : …and yes, did I mention there’s smut? this chapter got the fic rating bumped up lol... And no beta-read, as usual lol. 
> 
> Myst-san

Six ---x

Hunger

-

Honestly. What was he thinking when he had agreed to their ‘jostling practice’?

Perhaps a part of him had initially decided to go ahead with the plan _very mistakenly_ thinking he could just indulge her with a kiss or two, and then with the last of his remaining sanity and crumbling willpower pull apart from her just in time. Which…all glaringly pointed out how he was being absolutely stupid in hindsight considering his already raging hormones.

Yet, some parts of him argued - what was the worst that could happen right? Nothing wrong with stealing a kiss from a woman who looked as lovely as this one who happened to be sitting in front of him. Plus, she had offered her consent, never mind her cheeks burning the most adorable shade of pink and her fingers were shyly curled through his thick blonde hair sending his pants the SOS by now.

And his friends were right…God, Cloud couldn’t remember the last time he had been with a woman, _this way_. Without homework on his mind, without the burden of inheriting a billion-dollar enterprise weighing on his shoulders. Here, ironically trapped in the headiness of this room, with the most ridiculously flamboyant display of flower petals scattered across the pristine white sheets, this place was the safest cocoon he had felt in a while.

Away from everything.

_With her._

Something about her- her pressed against him, her in his arms, in this bed, made him forget his sealed future. Everything. Her shampoo hitting his nose drove him wild with intoxication. Like a drug, the sight of her; scent of her, blotted out rules and strictures and all of society’s conventions.

And he wanted her. Had wanted her with that pressing, urgent need slamming into his pants since she had walked into his life, into this room. Clad in nothing but sheer satin red fabric.

So why the hell not, indeed?

He could always afterwards blame it on the overdose of beer his friends fed him. He could always blame it on Rufus and his blatantly extravagant over-spending on his protégé. Or just the fact that he had been so fuckin’ caught up in the cogs of life that he had forgotten what it was like being intimate with another woman, and his hormones had betrayed him the moment he had encountered an opportunity to tumble into bed with the opposite sex. (Which in retrospect Cloud knew didn’t make any sense because no woman had ever commanded his attention like that.)

Even she herself had said it was just ‘jostling practice’. A poor excuse, they both knew, when sparks had literally flown between them when they had first kissed minutes ago. With that amount of voltage that travelled between their bodies whenever they touched, there was no way testing that chemistry merely boiled down to wanting more ‘practice’.

Hence, any other part of him that counter-argued that he could simply draw apart from her and jump away from her touch after he had perhaps kissed her _enough_ and had his fill _,_ might as well be tantamount to wishful thinking.

Because ‘enough’ didn’t exist when it came to her.

He should have known from the start, really.

It was a most bloody, stupid, idea. Agreeing to kiss her.

Because when his lips found hers and her whole body quivered against his, Cloud knew there and then it was too late.

_(It might have been a fuckin’ dumb idea.)_

But something so wrong had never felt so undoubtedly _right._

At the same time, he gave himself a warning, even as his mouth irresistibly plundered hers. Go slow, be careful, he reminded himself. Almost panicked and doubted himself for a second whether he deserved to be her _first kiss,_ her _first everything._ And then realized, with an overwhelming urge to protect her, that she deserved an experience filled with tenderness. In spite of them being at an absurdly cheap location (a brothel, really?), in spite of their awkward circumstances (an escort and her client, _how in the world_ ). 

As her lips fastened keenly against his, Cloud knew it would demand all of his willpower to hold back. He was intensely aware of her – of her rose-scented hair tickling his jaw, the lushness of her lips molded achingly to his, of the electrifying sensation one after another her touch was compounding into his body.

Trying to be calm, to be noble, was damned near impossible.

She lit up like a slim pixie goddess with her hair spilling out in tumbles like molten amber. The girl was nervous, yet pliant and willing and exquisitely gentle in his arms. When she pressed a palm against the hardness of his muscular chest, a tingle burst through him.

…Oh. _Oh, fuck it._

Fuck thinking. He was done with overthinking, anyway.

And she wasn’t the only one asking to be indulged for one night.

Cloud Strife could use a fuckin’ night away from his world of a thousand and one responsibilities and shit, too.

So. Yeah. _Fuck it._ Really.

Letting out an uncharacteristic growl under his breath, he snatched her up hard against him, arms wrapping around her in an iron grip. Her kiss had ignited a searing heat that spread through his tense muscles, setting him on fire. His tongue demanded more in response, coaxing impossibly more sweetness out of her luscious mouth until he managed to snatch a soft whimper from her lips.

Oh hell, why the fuck had he even hesitated to do this?

Kissing her was divine. Delicious. She was impossibly lovely and warm against him, and his hands sliding around her slender body only made me him more acutely aware of the tantalizing curves waiting beneath that annoying, cumbersome satin fabric.

His fingers ached to remove it. That damned robe needed to be rid of. In the shortest time possible.

She was innocent, he could tell. She moaned softly with delighted surprise each time his tongue touched her in places that burnt them both, and he knew she’d never done anything like this before. That knowledge itself was building within him a combination of fierce protectiveness and raging desire that was increasingly harder to tame as her tongue innocently yet cleverly seared embers against his.

And, she was a fast learner, too. That much was evident, from the tantalizing motions her tongue was reciprocating his strokes against the slant of his mouth, drawing an instinctive growl deep from his throat as the heat pulsed through both of their madly beating hearts.

Surely, her tongue now tracing delicious strokes down the length of his cheekbone had to be too damn distracting, because Cloud had certainly missed the part where she had slowly peeled through the buttons of his shirt, until he was almost stripped down to his bottom, revealing the hard muscles corded around his chest and broad shoulders.

He abruptly exhaled, suddenly remembering where he was, what in the fuck’s name he was doing. He had never lost it like this, _never_ – and his eyes jolted open, the desire coiling straight to his pants when her fingers began to roam tentatively, but demandingly, against his bare-naked skin.

He _did_ pull apart then, his eyes taking in the sight of his shirt carelessly tossed to the side of the bed. The heat returned to his cheeks; shot an arrow through his heart, as he shakily met her gaze. As if the sudden sense of his own nakedness had slammed an awakening on him that _Oh my god, it was really all happening, and they were going to… going to…_

And how the hell had she gotten rid of his shirt that fast? Her fingers weren’t just magic – they had to be fuckin’ made of inferno. Because they were skimming crazy flames across his chest where they scorched holes into him. Her eyes were dazed; full of wonder, as she unabashedly stared at him. He noticed her cheeks were probably just as red as his. Although hers had an undertone of pink that radiated enough incandescence to light up the universe.

“What?” His voice sounded hoarse; almost a whole octave lower.

Her gaze was making him self-conscious. Yet that was something so exquisite about the way her lips looked apparently swollen from all that kissing. _His_ kissing.

An uneasy feeling stirred within him – surely she wasn’t regretting anything already? Fuck, Cloud was in too deep to turn back now. She couldn’t say no…not now, not when he was so close to losing his last shred of chivalrous sanity and—

“Just,” her fingers grazed his chest – so light, so warm, they seared all the way to the underside of his toes. Her eyes were concentrated in taking in the sight of him. Bare-chested. And so magnificently handsome under the dappled moonlight shining through the suite windows.

“Just… did anyone ever mention that you look every inch a Greek God?”

He blinked, at a loss of words. _Whaa-?_

She laughed, a merry sound to his ears. A tinkling sound, that he wanted to hear again, and again.

“It’s not fair. The heavens really must have spent a lot more time on you.” She drummed her fingers deliberately against his bare skin, completely oblivious to her touch sending his nerves skittering aplenty and setting the butterflies in his stomach all at once. “No wonder the female population in Gaia is smitten with you, Mister.”

In spite of his fluster from her penetrating scrutiny, he managed a roll of his eyes, “Really? Must have missed that memo.”

She giggled, leaning closer to him. Instinctively, his arms went around her waist, as if she was designed to fit snug against his chest. She was looking at him with so much warmth and shine in her eyes, it was impossible not to feel that strange bubbling sensation sending fuzziness all over his bones.

“You really are a hard man to get, Cloud Strife. Certainly living up to your reputation.”

He was about to open his mouth to argue, when she interrupted. Her breath tickled his neck and he shuddered involuntarily. “But, hey, at least I get to keep you for tonight, right?”

The question, so sweet and hopeful and _teasing,_ slammed into the wall of his emotions like a pummelling rock. He read the innocence and gentility shining from her eyes, and something snapped inside him.

Wordlessly, he gripped her shoulders and kissed her. Hungry, hot, and devouring. A kiss meant to leave her breathless – and it did. He snatched the air from her lungs; felt her inhale beneath his roaming tongue, and Cloud realized dimly, dazedly, that he had to have her now.

Wanted her now with an ache that was blooming badly in his core. And if he didn’t have her…well, _fuck it._

She wasn’t the only one who got to play Cinderella tonight.

Tonight wouldn’t just be for her- he selfishly wanted it for himself, too. A night for him to forget who he was. To chuck away the weight of his world out of the door. Here in the suite, it was just him, and her.

And she was perfect. Impossibly so, in more ways than he desired.

His hands flew to cup her face; her creamy complexion alight with the same shade of rose petals scattered across the bed. She was whimpering against him – weak and wanting, and it left him yearning; craving for more. So much more.

 _If this is a dream, please don’t let me wake up._ Aerith thought wondrously as the kiss deepened, and then deepened again.

Banish the midnight clocks, the ball, the horse carriage, the wicked forces of nature against them, the entire universe. There was only tonight, and her Prince Charming. Enticing, entrancing, and he was real.

Never mind he was as unattainable as the most eligible bachelor standing in the planet. She had never met a man like Cloud, never met a man who stirred in her the most wicked, bashful thoughts. Yet here he was. Urgently kissing her and commanding her tongue to meet his in a wildly addictive battle that neither was winning. Only prolonging the time engaged in heating up the entire room with their jostling heat.

…And even if tonight was a dream, then so be it. She would have her fill.

She allowed her hands to explore more – every delectable inch of him. He was so suave, so handsome, so well-built. It had to be criminal for someone like him to look and smell as good. And he made her feel as wild and exotic as the night.

She was inexperienced, sure, but she knew enough to know she had never wanted anyone as much as she wanted _him._ And now. With a fierceness that annihilated everything else.

And she was kissing him back with a passion hot as flame, that made him crush her to his chest even more. She was gasping; moaning breathlessly under his mouth laying savage claim to hers. When his hands dared to at last curve around her bottom and mould her impossibly deeper into his arms, the surging heat circling around them clung to their bodies and the sheen of sweat against their foreheads. It was all she could do to reach out to him blindly, to satiate that hunger and need intensifying a thousandfold inside her.

She was fumbling with the buttons of his trousers, aching to break the remaining barriers between them, until he froze at her doing and his eyes shot open. He caught her swiftly at the wrist, his eyes filled with desire, want and…an exquisite gentleness. As much as he was losing the last shred of his self-control, he knew she deserved nothing less. And he would make sure of that.

“No,” he rasped, voice hoarse, “Not yet.”

“I don’t understand—” She looked confused, until his mouth strove to close the distance once more.

“You’ll see,” he breathed, then touched his mouth to hers again, heart swelling when she elicited another moan against his questing tongue, “Just…follow my lead.”

She nodded dazedly, her hands raking through his hair, kissing him back again until he was wild with savouring her honeyed flavour and fighting all his basest instincts to take care with her. She managed a soft giggle when her mouth lingered against his jaw, altogether clenching his muscle and sending his blood roaring.

“Guess I’ll just have to follow, and learn.” Good humour laced her tone, and he pulled away to catch the twinkle in her eyes that curved the corners of his own lips.

“Yep,” he answered, his eyes light when they met hers, “Practice makes perfect, right?”

“Uh-huh,” she smiled, and he brought his lips down to hers.

This time when his tongue plundered the soft, pliable mouth she offered to him with such innocent joy, he allowed his touch to roam lower, letting his lips travel down the length of her parted lips down to her shoulder, where his teeth caught the satin smoothness of the kimono.

He heard her let out a staggering breath, and he pressed a long kiss into the nape of her neck. Her arms wound around his neck, and he smelt the rich musk of passion that clung to her, matching his.

“Do you want me to stop?” He asked in a throaty whisper. Although he knew it would take all of wild horses to drag him away from her at this point of time. He was hard with need, and his body had issued the red alert now. But Cloud was still every inch a gentleman. Even if that meant swallowing down her rejection and –

“No,” she exhaled into his chest.

“Are you sure--?” He was about to ask again, just to be doubly sure. Triply sure, when she pressed her fingers against his lips. She pretended to roll her eyes, looking annoyed.

“Do you think I’d have stripped you of your shirt if I _wasn’t_ sure? Mister, if you are going to be so annoying and sit and chit-chat while I’m trying to rid you of your pants next, I’m going to have to shut you up. By force.”

He cracked an amused smile in spite of himself and his damned nerves. Fuck, had he known he had earned himself a firecracker tonight when Rufus had bought his protégé a female escort?

“I’d like to see you try, but,” he let his lips twitch into what hinted of a smile, “that won’t be necessary.”

“Good,” she cupped his cheeks in her hands, feigning an exasperated look that almost earned a low chuckle from him. Almost made him forget he was half-naked in front of a most ravishingly beautiful woman whom he was about to undress by the time his willpower wilted away eventually. “Now this is the part where you be quiet, and take the lead.” 

He snaked an arm around her waist, drawing her breath and words from her lungs. If she didn’t want to waste any more time, then neither did he.

“I’m going to touch you,” he breathed, then rained kisses on her neck, her shoulders, until the suite, the candlelight of the room, the moonlight of the night was no more. Only heat and magic and want enveloped them. “Okay?”

“Yes,” she shut her eyes, remembering to breathe as his teeth played with the hem of the satin fabric. Teased, twisted the openings of the robe, before his mouth finally worked its way down and tore the material down her shoulders, letting the kimono flutter to her waist, “I trust you.”

She was shivering slightly, more so from the nerves that threatened to overwhelm her senses, than from the touch of the cool air against her naked skin. He sensed it immediately, and in a swift bid to quell the anxiety rising in her, his mouth swoop to taste and drink in her sweet nectar once more, determined to chase all the doubts and nerves from her. When he felt her relax against the strokes of his tongue again, he lifted a finger to stroke her cheek, and drew back slightly to study the length of her.

It took everything to fight back a groan. Dammit, she was beyond beautiful. Porcelain skin, flesh as soft and warm as satin, and emerald eyes brighter and more bewitching than any stars plucked from the sky. Her delicate frame was so alluringly feminine, it took everything not to hungrily comb his eyes over the sweep of her eyelashes, the rhythm of her quickened breaths. Took everything not to kiss her from top to bottom, to touch his mouth to every inch of her.

_(Go slow, be careful.)_

Aerith watched him watch her, and her cheeks tinged pink with shy consciousness. A part of her yearned for the secure cover of her kimono again to shield her against his penetrating gaze. A part of her wondered if the appreciation she thought she saw in that intent gaze was real, or just a figment of her imagination.

Her nagging insecurity won her over ultimately. She couldn’t help but blurt out, “Cloud, I know I’m not beautiful nor very pretty by average standards, but I hope I haven’t disappointed you—”

He cut her off, his hands reaching out to swiftly, but boldly, remove the last cumbersome hindrance around her waist. That fuckin’ annoying sash belt around her waist that he had been staring involuntarily since she stepped into this room as long as he could remember. And now it occurred to him that he could finally feel the satisfaction and pleasure of pulling that damn thing away, and let her robe finally fall and crumble around her petite body.

And crumble it did. That swift, unthinking act left both of them equally breathless, as he irrationally tore the belt away and watched as her kimono fell apart before him and pooled loosely around them like a velvet red puddle, and his eyes gleamed over the firm, flat whiteness of her belly, past the sensuous curves of her hips, to the darkness nestled between her thighs.

 _This was a disappointment?_ She thought she was a disappointment?

Oh god. Then he didn’t want to think what she was when she was brimming with confidence.

He fought back an animalistic groan, blood burning with the heat swelling in his pants now, as his eyes lingered upon her curves and inadvertently smouldered into darker, smoky blues at the sight of her beauty.

“Cloud?” She asked uncertainly, suddenly unsure if he was about to change his mind, after all. Aerith knew full well she wasn’t the most well-endowed female, nor that kind of woman who looked effortlessly modelesque on an ordinary day. But still, she had thought maybe in the crazed context of Honeybee Manor where conventions and rules didn’t apply, maybe she had stood a chance—maybe—

She was about to squirm away from his gaze and snatch for her robes again to quickly dress. A part of her was ready for the shame and regret to pour into her bones like gasoline for everything that had transpired between them ( _oh, stupid Aerith, what were you thinking? Trying to seduce the most eligible bachelor in Gaia?)_ when Cloud had gripped her firmly by the wrist, hauling her to him.

“Thought you said you wanted to learn?” He said throatily, growing aware of his painful need for her, his own breaths coming in long, raspy beats that matched the pumping rhythm of his heart.

When his hands found her breast, she hadn’t managed to stop the gasp from her parted lips.

He was kissing her again. Oh – _oh how did it all feel so good_ , and Aerith thought she would burst with so much fire and want, when his tongue was trailing wet paths down her neck, and his fingers were beginning those torturously slow caresses around one nipple in slow, circular motions that made her writhe with breathless sensations.

“Yes,” she faintly heard herself speak, amidst the night and the fire that swirled around them as his touches grew more urgent, their kisses more frenzied. His hands grew more restless, hungrier across her skin. Exploring, stroking, until her senses whirled. “Show me.”

His mouth crushed against hers in response.

_Pleasure’s all mine._

**Tbc**

* * *

a/n:

ah…well, I had started this expecting smut to take up less than a chapter..but well it’s almost midnight where I am and… who knew smut can be so friggin’ lengthy to write!? Oh god.

YASSS CLERITH. BURN THE SUITE DOWN.

Come tell me how hot you want our ship to set the Honeybee Manor on fire.

(and yes this is the part where I raise the rating of this darn fic lol. – tosses confetti )

Myst-san


	7. moth to a flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You…like it?” She breathed against his throat.   
> “…You’re a fast learner.” God, he was stumbling over his words like an infant.   
> “Mister, we’ve barely begun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: 
> 
> Here you go. Sexy times for C/A!  
> Sorry this chapter took so long. Got sidetracked by work yadda yadda. ; ) - avoids tosses of rotten eggs – 
> 
> Anyhow. I wasn’t just going to let the smut scene go hahaha. Xd hell yea to Clerith lighting up Honeybee Manor on fire! Enjoy x 
> 
> **Warning – this entire chapter is smut. So if it’s not your cuppa tea, please do skip it –** don’t say I didn’t warn! And as usual, **barely any beta-read.** Blame no time/adulting, you get the drift. 
> 
> Myst-san

Seven –

Moth to a flame

-

Her soft skin against his acted like a drug, beckoning him. Cloud wanted more, more than he could ever ask. He was beyond wanting, and was edging into the painful must-have territory now.

When his hand brushed against the swell of her breast and his fingers maddeningly teased the rosebud until it turned taut and sharp, the mewing sounds her mouth made beneath his only intensified the sensations diving deep within him like searing fire. His tongue insistently nibbled at the corner of her lips, sucking away every whimper that escaped her throat. His entire body was at war with the passion she had awakened in him when she had kissed him back like she was starving.

_Go slow. Go careful._

The words screamed at his insides. Cloud prided himself on being raised and bred a gentleman. Sure, he had dated and bedded his fair share of women growing up, yet none had affected him like that. None like this woman had tested every bit of his iron-clad discipline and will. And the last of his gentlemanly control might as well have dissipated into thin air when she had suddenly reached out to unfasten his pants and push them over his hips.

He instinctively groaned. _Oh fuck. Fuck._

All that effort to curb his desires and rein in his sinful thoughts of the one thousand and one things he wanted to do to her tonight might as well have been for naught. His senses were whirling; a million stars swimming into his axis of vision. His mind barely registered whatever happened next when her fingers trailed scorching paths down the length of his thighs…and then the next thing he saw were his own pants landing into a forgotten pile onto the floor.

By then, it was too late, and he was in his fuckin’ briefs.

Swollen, in the glory of his underwear, for her to see.

He should be embarrassed. He damn well should be. God – couldn’t she see? She turned him on. Her innocence, her beauty. He could never have enough. Her eyes grew wide at his size, before a slow smile crossed her lips. She ran her hands over his chest carefully, noting the bulge of his sinewy muscles, the sheen of his skin, the hair matting his wide chest.

She had pulled away from his kiss briefly, just to blankly stare. She couldn’t help but be stunned by the superb magnificence of his body. _He was more than perfect, half-naked in his briefs,_ she thought with a pink flush to her cheeks. And for just a moment, her gaze slid downwards, before the direction of her shameless thoughts horrified her. She snatched her eyes back up at him, feeling hot. Just in time to catch his blue-green eyes darkening considerably.

He was shuddering, as she curiously ran her fingers over the hard length of his chest. If possible, he grew even harder with need. She seemed to have sense it, because a small smile curved her lips knowingly, and she was reaching towards the hem of his brief. Tugging. Teasing. Pulling –

The last single stroke wrenched a groan from his throat aloud this time. He reached a hand out to stop her. Before it was too late, and he was certain he would explode right there and then. Yet his will to obey his own mental command was crumbling into smithereens by the minute.

He had to pinch himself that this wasn’t some insane, erotic dream.

“Wait—” He gripped her by the wrist, not harshly. Their gazes met.

( _Oh god_ , he cursed himself, he might as well have sounded like a croaking frog. His throat was dust; he could barely string coherent words together.)

“…Cloud?” Her expression was hesitant. Yet her eyes shone with longing, and an unbridled sort of hope. And hunger.

He was past all reason at this point. Her touch had completely dissolved any remaining resolve in him to hold back. He had to be made of rock, to be able to resist her. He was on fire, and he wanted more than anything to push her down onto the bed now—

_Ah, to hell with it._

Cloud pulled her into his arms and claimed the sweetness of her mouth once more. She was caught up hard against him. She was so hot, she was melting. Each touch of his hands, each press of his lips, made her blood heat more. She was sighing, whimpering so much into his mouth that pumped his blood ever more so furiously, and he could hardly see through the dark mist of desire that nearly blinded him.

She was a quick learner, that he had to give it to her. Just like he had done to her before, she now returned with equal fervour, if not more. She was drawing every flavour from his mouth, nibbling against his jaw, then moving lower, running hot, wet kisses down the column of his throat until they were both breathless.

He gave up. Gave into the explosive forces drawing them together like moth to a flame. She was innocent. An innocent on fire, and it was setting him afire. Each time she moaned with delighted surprise everywhere he touched her, a dangerous purely male desire was building within him, together with a combination of fierce protectiveness he never knew existed.

“You…like it?” She breathed against his throat, stopping in the midst of running slippery, slobbering kisses down his skin. God, was she choosing this inopportune time to further tease him? Like he wasn’t already exploding and burning with longing.

He swallowed, just before he drew in another staggering breath as she touched her lips to his ears and licked. A single stroke, single-mindedly driving all other thoughts of his brains.

“…You’re a fast learner,” he managed to utter, at last. Stumbling all over his damned words like a sputtering infant.

“Mister,” she whispered into his ears, sending the hair raising across his skin and his nerves tingling, “we’ve barely begun.”

Was she…attempting to seduce him? Was this what the Honeybee Manor taught their escorts? His mind was ready to combust, along with the bursting sensation raging in his pants. Whatever her trick was, the art of her words was working like a drug. And he was addicted. It was _working._ Cloud wasn’t sure suddenly if she wasn’t the one showing him the ropes instead of him.

She continued to kiss him, moving the kisses lower against his shoulder until he could hold back no longer, and he caught both her shoulders. His eyes had turned to the colour of blue smokes.

Still time to back out…if she told him no.

…Well yeah, never mind he would have to run to the bathroom afterwards to finish what needed to be finish. She had turned him on beyond what normal gentleman could rein in anymore.

But he _could_ still stop her advances now, before it was all too late. He didn’t want her to regret anything. Not this. 

“Are you certain?” He asked again, voice raspy.

His need had turned every bit as dangerous as the length in his pants. Aerith suspected he would leave her if she asked it of him. But she had no intention of doing so.

“Cloud,” she rolled her eyes, not angrily. She poked a finger into his bare chest, “Why do you always have to be such a gentleman?”

His eyes turned large, then confused. “That’s…not a good thing?”

Her lips came closer to his throat, turning his heart over. “Well, silly, how about you leave whatever gentlemanly façade out of the suite tonight?”

At the sound of her voice, he realized that it certainly wasn’t hard to do.

If she wanted wild, ungentlemanly Cloud…then she’d get what she asked for.

 _Be careful what you wish for,_ he thought dimly, before she fell into his arms once more and crushed her mouth against his.

Every resolve in him broke like a dam.

Her actions spoke a thousand more volumes words couldn’t. And he knew it like a twinkling.

She wanted him. And was certain. Never been more certain of anything else.

On a moan of pleasure neither quite knew belonged to whose, he had backed her up against the rough wood of the suite bed even as he continued to kiss her, to delve deeper, until she could do no more than whimper in his arms and clutch at the muscles of his back. As his mouth coaxed hers into submission and her limbs turned weak, Aerith was only faintly aware of being gently laid onto the bedsheets as his hands continued to hungrily explore her body, touching her everywhere until she was writhing madly with need.

“Cloud,” his name escaped her lips. Like a spell.

A tremor shook her, and his name once more rolled off the flutter of her tongue as sensations after sensations rocked her here in his arms, in their bed. He drew apart, his gaze fastened keenly on the lushness of her body. She was blushing, even as she was tugging him to her again, wanting more. Endlessly demanding. When he noticed the glowing colour on her cheeks, one that set her creamy skin alight with the hue of rose petals like the ones scattered around her hair fanning across the bedsheets, he couldn’t help but notice how exquisitely beautiful she looked even as he leaned over to kiss her senseless again.

She was panting beneath him, even as he cupped both her breasts, sending her arching her back as the delicious sensations claimed her.

“Oh. There’s so much to learn, Cloud…” She was murmuring through half-lidded eyes, even as she wondered if she would suddenly wake and find this all but a fairy-tale dream.

“We’ve got time,” he answered her throatily.

She laughed, even between gasps as he boldly took his kisses lower. “Dusk till dawn, huh?” Her hands caught in his hair, as she surrendered to another wave of desire he had ignited in the pit of her belly, clawing lower to between her thighs.

“Yep,” he managed a single syllable. He drew his shoulders back, hesitated for a second. Then breathed, taking the plunge.

“Cloud—” she started to speak, but he had bent forward to capture one taut peak in his mouth and Aerith arched as passion knifed through her. She had never felt anything like this before. Never dreamt this level of pleasure existed.

She gripped his shoulders hard, digging her fingernails into his skin as he nipped lightly at the rosebud.

“Cloud.” His name sounded strangled in her throat.

She could hardly take in air. Her heart was hammering in her chest with the ferocity of a blazing fire. The knot inside her drew tighter, and she was reeling; rocking against him. Faster, harder. Nothing had prepared her for this ecstasy.

He drew the other nipple into his mouth, savouring her gasps and moans as he teased her tight peak, licking and caressing in slow, circular motions until she was writhing wildly and nearly screaming his name into the night. Something inside her was building; mounting. Crying for release. Until the knot inside her unwound, sending a ripple throughout her body that brought a cry from her lips.

He lifted his head, his eyes hungrily memorizing every curve of her eyelashes, the rhythm of her quickened breaths. She possessed an undeniable female grace; an appealing innocence that he could wait no longer to plunder. His eyes gleamed, and his gaze swept lower, past the sensuous curve of her hips to the patch of hair nestled between her thighs.

His eyes went dark and smoky as they lingered, and she studied the appreciation in his face, even as her cheeks reddened with the loveliest touch of pink.

“That…was nice,” she admitted, whispering. Her eyes shone, matching the distinct pink hues shyly suffusing her cheeks.

He pretended to cock an eyebrow as he propped himself over her. This time, it was his turn to tease, and he looked to savour it.

“Hn, that’s only the beginning,” he murmured against her mouth.

Her pupils were huge, her lips red. _Wait, it’s only the beginning?_ God, Aerith couldn’t comprehend how much more her body and mind could take of this sweet, all-consuming battle of fire. Surely she would die from pleasure in his arms, in this bed.

She was about to ask what Cloud meant, when she felt his fingers probed, touched, and teased beneath the glistening dampness between her thighs. She involuntarily shuddered, arching her back even as a cry escaped her. Whatever he was doing to her, it was sweet, sweet torture. And such delicious torture it was that she was spreading her legs wider, inviting him in for more. _More._

His probing finger slipped further into the mysterious tunnel of warmth, and she was gasping and panting against his chest. He was stroking and touching her until she thought she would go mad. With his mouth taking turns to torment each sensitive nipple, showering her breasts with slow and long kisses until they were trailing a path downward to that arching area between her thighs, he was awakening a need inside her building to a desperate level that she could bear no longer. 

Aerith clutched him closer with blind need, wrapping her legs around him, until he was tight and taut against her naked body. She felt his muscles tense, heard the sharp intake of his breath.

“Soon,” he whispered hoarsely. He knew what she wanted, and his own need was growing ever more desperate, ever more urgent. Cloud was a strong-willed gentleman, but even Hercules would not be able to withstand much longer. And he was only a hundred percent made of blood and bones, especially when it came to her and her touch.

“I trust you,” she told him, once more. Her words and that damned innocent pair of eyes lovingly staring up to his only serve to snatch a growl from his throat that sounded more animal than human. He breathed in her flowery woman-scent and moved atop her once more, closing his mouth around one erect nipple.

Aerith struggled against another tidal wave of feelings that threatened to swamp her, and all she could do was hang on as wave after wave assaulted her, leaving her trembling with weakness. Every tug of his mouth, each clever flick of his tongue, had her climbing higher, then higher still, until she wondered how she could possibly survive any more. All she could do was fist her hands in the blanket beneath her, feeling the bedsheets shift and move as she reached one crest after another.

His name on her lips. Her eyes huge. Her heart pounding.

His for the taking. Tonight.

“Cloud—” She carded her fingers through his hair, voice desperate with longing. No longer fully understanding the urges that drove her to swivel her hips beneath his, to arch her back, to snake her arms around him and draw him so close and deep inside of her until the colours of the room spun away.

“Sssh,” he shushed her. She was only dimly aware of the sound of something ripping – a _condom? –_ but when she had looked down shyly with the sweep of her eyelashes, the pink deepened against her cheeks as she watched him push his briefs down over his hips.

Until he jutted free. Rigid and swollen, needing, wanting… her.

Perhaps it was out of curiosity. Or just sheer amazement and wonder at this Greek god come to life in front of her. (How could someone look this magnificent and suave under the snowy moonlight in the room? Ah goddammit, it wasn’t fair.) But at the sight of his male desire, she had reached for his rigid length, squeezing him, cupping him until he nearly exploded right there.

“Fuck, wait—” He cursed, then snatched her hand away. “Don’t, or else I won’t be able to—”

She looked at him innocently, then he was sighing and covering his mouth with hers once more.

Shit, she really was clueless to the power she was having over him, wasn’t she? No one can deny him of the passion she had stirred in him now. Not even wild horses could drag him away. He was in the beyond-hope territory of no return.

The urge to plunge into her was too tormenting, too overpowering. But he managed to retain control and kissed his way back to her, to torment those swollen peaks, then find her lips again until she was twisting beneath the white bedsheets of rose petals. He noticed with slight bemusement that a few rose petals had caught themselves in her hair. And she looked very much like a heaven-sent angel this instance, with red on her cheeks and red in her hair.

 _His._ For tonight.

His mouth trailed kisses across her skin until she was squirming on the bed, her cries incoherent. “Cloud, please.”

He couldn’t wait any longer. At last, he moved atop her, spreading her legs with his muscled thighs, burying his face into her floral-scented hair that drove him impossibly madder with need. He drew back, bringing a murmur of protest from her mouth, before plunging forward to embed himself deep within her tight embrace. She was so wet and warm and moist, he entered her easily, and she gave out only one small gasp that melted into a soft moan as her hips rose up to meet his fevered body.

“You okay?” He was about to pause, and allow her pain to pass, but she raised her hips against his to protest.

“More, _more_.”

He didn’t have to be asked twice. He gathered her closer, filling himself with the smell and feel and essence of her, answering every of her cries and moans with ever more powerful thrusts. As the rhythm of his movements quickened and grew stronger, harder, Aerith responded to him and moved with him like she’d been made for him, answering each stroke with her own.

The world spun like a top. The colours of the room blurred, and the smells of the firewood burning in the suite wilted away. Her fingers tore at him. Digging, kneading, as he showered kisses upon her mouth, sending her streaking towards delirium. Closer, closer.

They moved together, hearts hammering, lungs straining, as they climbed higher and higher, until they reached the moon and shattered into an explosion of stars. When she finally arched against him, his name spilling from her lips, he allowed himself to release his passion with a groan and at last buried his face into her hair.

**TBC**

* * *

a/n:

“myst-san, did you just write an entire chapter of Clerith smut?”

…uh, yep. Yep, I did. Xd

There you go. I hoped Honeybee Manor is worthily now set on fire from all that chemistry between our leads. 😉

Myst-san


End file.
